Elsa W Radtke

Elsa Radtke (ne Welke) was born on October 15, 1933 in the small town of Marianowka in Ukraine, a town settled many years before by Germans. When she was approximately 10, her family moved to West Germany and settled in Bielefeld in the north. Here, she eventually met the love of her life, Horst.

They married in 1956 and emigrated with their young son Roland, in 1958 to Waukegan, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Elsa spent much of her life being a homemaker, wife and mother. She was always available to help others and volunteered to help at the kids’ schools. Both she and Horst also spent quite a bit of time with their German friends who also lived in the area and participated in German festivities the group would have.

After both Heide and Roland moved to Arizona, Elsa and Horst moved to Arizona as well in 1985. After living in Glendale their first couple of years, they moved to Sun City, an adult community northwest of Phoenix. Here they connected with other German friends, many who also came from the Midwest.

Elsa worked as a pastry chef for a few years and perfected her cake decorating technique. She often used these skills to make beautiful cakes and gingerbread houses for family and friends.

Elsa was a beautiful and caring woman who loved to bring joy to others.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Horst and her son, Roland. She is survived by her daughter, Heide and her grandchildren, Kelsey Gerchar and Michael Gerchar.