Obituaries

Patricia ‘Pat’ Kovar, 84, was surrounded by the love of her family as she peacefully made her last move to heaven on October 8, 2023.

Pat was born on February 26, 1939, the only child of the late Ludwig and Ann (Zenz) Haug in Maywood, Illinois. After she graduated from Siena (all girls, Catholic) High School in 1957, she met her future husband, Fred Kovar. Shortly after, he was drafted into the army and together they left to fulfill his duties in Germany.

On August 29, 1957, Pat married Fred at Kleber Chapel Catholic Church in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Pat lived in Germany until their first son was born and then she came back to her parents in the US two months later. Fred followed when he was discharged from service at the end of 1958. Upon returning to the states, their first home was an apartment above a garage. Soon after, they settled in Winfield, Illinois, where Fred built the family home on Leonard Street where they raised their three children, Fred, Mike, and Terri. Leonard Street was the place to be and the Kovar house was always filled with friends and neighbors. Many family reunions were celebrated in the backyard, as well as gathering relatives during the holidays.

Pat enjoyed playing bridge with the other moms at Wyncliff Swim Club, while her children were learning to swim, and cooling off during the summers. She engaged in many crafts from decoupage and ceramics to crocheting. She also played in the women’s bowling league at Wheaton Bowl. With an extensive library of books, Pat was an avid reader of novels and mysteries. She always had a book or two going at the same time. When her family was visiting, she loved to do puzzles, play games, and cook together.

Early on, most family vacations were spent camping with friends, until they gave up the tent and pop-up camper to settle into a cottage on Gilmore Lake in Woodruff, Wisconsin. Many family summers were spent in Northern Wisconsin as the cabin grew with Fred’s additions.

Upon her retirement from real estate and construction home sales in 2002, Fred and Pat moved from the Chicagoland area to Woodruff, Wisconsin. They spent the next 18 years living on Gilmore Lake where strong friendships grew with her Wisconsin neighbors. She worked at the gift shop of the famous Paul Bunyan’s in Minocqua, always liking to stay active and engaged with people. Her grandkids always loved it when grandma would bring back doughnuts after working her morning shift at the gift shop, though her children loved them even more.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Fred, who passed away on February 14, 2020. She is survived by her sons Fred Kovar, Michael (Michelle) Kovar, and her daughter Terri Ekstrom. She also leaves behind her six grandchildren: Nick (Andrea) Ekstrom, Matt (Lara) Ekstrom, Katelyn Ekstrom, Wyatt (Giulianna) Kovar, Josh Kovar, and Jake Kovar, along with three great-grandchildren Emma Ekstrom, Isak Ekstrom, and Mateus Campos Ribeiro. Many of her cousins, Toni, Bonnie, Lynn, Laurie, Joanie, Bob, John & Jim, who were like brothers and sisters as she was growing up. Pat will be missed by the many family members she married into, including Bill Kovar, Ethel Sladek, Pinky and Les Johnson and many others.

A memorial service will be held at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery on October 27, 2023 at 9:30 am with a celebration of life to follow.

A donation to the Alzheimer’s Association in Pat Kovar’s memory would be greatly appreciated:

https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=849950

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