Full Obituary

Eileen (Hayes) Soderberg passed away on May 13 at North Ridge Assisted Living in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. She is survived by her three children Donald (Kathleen), William (Susan), and Carol (John Stewart); her ten grandchildren—Brad, Jeff, Lisa (Collins), Kurt, Scott, Beth (Chandonais), and Megan in Don’s family and Anna (Keith), Jenka (Bannoura), and Keir in Bill’s family; and 25 great-grandchildren.
Eileen was born May 18, 1917 on the Hayes family homestead farm in Marathon County near Stratford, Wisconsin. She attended St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Stratford, Aquinas High School in La Crosse, and Stratford High School. She was hired as one of the first employees of Thorp Finance Corporation.
Eileen married Arthur (“Pat”) Soderberg in 1938, and they enjoyed a long and happy marriage until Pat’s death in 2002. After Pat retired from farming and a short stint with Thorp Sales Corporation, Eileen was the office manager for Pat’s company, Soderberg Realty.
An active member of the Thorp community, Eileen was named an honorary member of the Thorp Alumni Association. Among her many contributions to the TAA, she typed and maintained the data file for the first Thorp Alumni Directory.
She was a member of the Friendly Neighbors Homemakers Club, Catholic Lady Foresters, Christian Mothers, and the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. Eileen also served as a Girl Scout leader and was a regular volunteer for the annual Red Cross blood drive.
She derived much pleasure from playing the piano and square dancing. Eileen enjoyed a trip to her ancestral country of Ireland with her husband Pat, her daughter Carol, and her son-in-law John Stewart—a native of Belfast, Ireland.
She also traveled widely in the U.S. on trips to visit friends and family. Eileen’s 25 great grandchildren are dispersed from coast to coast: Kramer, Daley, and Davis (Bradley and Linda Williams) in St. Charles, Missouri; Sam, Max, and Eric (Jeffrey and Terry Wysocki) in Mosinee, WI; Jimmy, Shannon, Erin, Megan, Riley, and Craig (Lisa and James Collins) in Dubuque, IA; Kennedy, Will, and Griffin (Kurt and Paula Letsche) in Merrill, WI; Mitchell and Elizabeth (Scott and Christina Schweiger) in Tampa, FL; Brock, Grant, and Trent (Beth and Jeff Chandonais) in Stevens Point, WI; Amara and Auryn (Anna and Brian Keith)in Portland, OR; Guevara (Jenka and SaedBannoura) in Portland, OR; Emma and Cora (Keir and Natasha Quinn) in Germantown, MD.
Eileen was preceded in death by her husband Pat; parents William and Theresa (Hughes) Hayes; sisters Verona (Aschenbrener) and Elizabeth (Gebert); brothers Robert, Charles, John, and James Hayes.
The funeral will be held at St. Bernard’s-St. Hedwig’s Church in Thorp at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 16 with visitation at the church from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Thorp Alumni Association, P.O. Box 75, Thorp, WI 54771.