Francis S. "Buster" Elsinger's Obituary
Francis “Buster” Elsinger, age 91, passed away peacefully at his home in Fond du Lac, surrounded by his immediate family. Buster was born on July 26, 1923 in Loyal, Wisconsin, the youngest child of John and Anna (Redig) Elsinger. He was raised on the family farm with his four sisters and seven brothers. Buster was first united in marriage to Rose Holubok on September 4, 1950 at St. Thomas Church in Kent, Minnesota. Following her death after 48 years of marriage, he was united in marriage to Shirley (Schafer) Bell on September 22, 2001 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oshkosh. Buster loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, gardening, picking wild berries, camping, observing wildlife, chopping wood and cracking hickory nuts and pecans that he collected on his numerous travels across the country. He recently concluded a deer hunting trip to Wyoming where he has rarely missed a fall hunt for the past 55 years. He was a carpenter by profession and a member of the Carpenters Union Local where he received his 65 year pin in March of this year. He initially began his carpenter career in Bismarck, North Dakota after serving for two years in the U.S. Army where he remembered standing honor guard for President Truman at an Army/Navy football game. It was in Bismarck where he first met Rose, his nurse, when he was admitted to the hospital with a case of the mumps. After a couple of years of courtship they married and remained in Bismarck for 6 years where the first three of their children, (Patricia, Robert and Bradford) where born. In 1956 the family moved to Loyal, Wisconsin and a year later moved to Oshkosh, where the last two children, (Noreen (Fuzzy) and Norman (Herky) were born. In 1961 they moved to their home on Knapp Street in Oshkosh where he resided for 40 years and was a member of Sacred Heart Parish. He was currently a member of Holy Family Parish in Fond du Lac. He was noted for his very large vegetable garden (40 feet by 300 feet) which supplied the neighborhood with bountiful vegetables. Buster worked for several construction contractors in Oshkosh (Pitts and Sons, Hutter and Ben Ganther) before retiring at the age of 62. After retirement Buster and Rose traveled extensively throughout the United States which included trips to Alaska, Canada, Florida and many winter trips to the southwest to escape the northern winters. He continued his travels during his second marriage with Shirley. Buster was a quiet man but noted for his generosity, sense of humor and whit which endured him to everyone he met. He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, uncle and friend. He will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved him. He is survived by and his memory will be cherished by his five children, Patricia “Pattie” Elsinger (Lee) Dorn of Madison, Robert (Janet Warner) Elsinger, Angel Fire, NM, Bradford Elsinger (Keith Henning) of Hollywood, CA, Noreen “Fuzzy” Elsinger (Arlin) Bakken, Oshkosh, and Norman “Herky” Elsinger of Oshkosh; grandchildren, Lyndsay Formiller (Derek) Wroblewski and daughters, Aubree and Paityn, Mason (Kristen) Dorn and daughters, Ayla and Hazel, Clayton Dorn and daughter, Tehya. His current wife Shirley Bell Elsinger and her children, Rick (Janet) Bell and Cindy (Jim) Roen. He is further survived by a sister, Mary Ann Reuter, Dewitt, MI, other relatives and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers and sisters, George Andrew, Lawrence, Roman, Sylvia Reuter, Veronica Schmidt, Crescentia (Sr. Florentine), Hans, Joseph and Gerald. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated for Buster on Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Jude Parish, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, corner of Knapp and 6th Streets in Oshkosh, the Rev. Matt Simonar as celebrant. A time of visitation will be held at the church on Tuesday from 9 a.m. until the time of Mass. Burial will be in Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of floral expressions, a memorial fund has been established in Francis Elsinger’s name with the proceeds to be donated to Fr. Francis’ (nephew) Catholic Mission in Hong Kong. Fiss & Bills-Poklasny Funeral Homes Oshkosh 920-235-1170 www.fissbillspoklasny.com
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