June 20, 1940 - November 10, 2023

As the sun set in Florida on Friday, November 10, 2023, God sang “Come on Eileen'' and Eileen Nora Whitman peacefully transitioned to heaven at the age of 83 surrounded by love and family. She started her journey on earth on June 20, 1940 as the first born child to Elmer and Ruth (Suprise) Steinke in the little town of Birnamwood, WI. She was baptized and confirmed at Trinity Lutheran Church in Birnamwood. She spent her childhood enjoying the simple things in life with her siblings Gladys, Carole, Chet, Pam and Steve, as well as with many lifelong friends. She graduated from Birnamwood High School in 1958 after excelling academically, in band and as a varsity cheerleader. Throughout her life, she continued to cheer with GREAT enthusiasm for her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as for the Green Bay Packers and other sports teams.

Eileen married Robert Diestler in 1960 in Birnamwood and they later moved to Wausau, WI. They created three beautiful children: Denise (1961), Angela (1963) and Matthew (1966) and later divorced. As a single mother, she set an amazing example for her children as a strong, determined woman who created so many fond memories with and for them while living in Rib Mountain.

In 1971, Eileen married Don Whitman and embraced his five children (Phillip, Carol, Linda, Michael and Kent) into her family circle. In 1972, Don and Eileen welcomed a daughter Sarah, who completed their beautiful, blended family. They built a home together on 20 acres of wooded land out in the country in Weston where they raised their children. They spent a lot of time traveling and camping as a family. They later moved to a home in Rothschild, WI.

Eileen was a woman of faith and was a member of First English Lutheran Church in Wausau. She later joined the South Lake Wales Church of God in Florida. She loved music and was a lifelong member in her church choirs. She had fond memories of performing with her church choir in New York City, as well as singing with the Sassy Singers in Florida. Eileen always kept a piano in her home and learned to play the harp as well. One could often hear her humming a tune.

Another passion of Eileen’s was traveling, and she traveled to most of the states in the US and parts of the United Kingdom, as well as Jamaica and the Bahamas. She treasured her visits to her Hawaiian family. Her sense of wanderlust was certainly passed on to her children and grandchildren as she had made it a priority to travel with each of them and to set aside funds for them to travel.

Eileen could rarely be found without a book in her hands. She valued literature, especially anything related to history. She had library cards in multiple cities and was always a strong patron. Eileen instilled the love of reading in her children and grandchildren.

Her greatest passion was genealogy, having traced lines of her family members back to the 1600’s. She treasured finding distant family members and making many connections and enjoyed talking about her findings with anyone who was interested.

Eileen spent the majority of her career working in the office for American Can/Lignotech Chemical/Weyerhaeuser in Rothschild, WI. After Don transitioned to heaven in 1995, she retired and purchased a condo in Lake Wales, Florida. She spent 23 winters there and continued to impact the lives of so many. Eileen was president of the Homeowners Association and on the board for many years. She spent her summers and fall in Wisconsin and Minnesota, dividing her time between her children’s homes. Her kids often fought over who would get her as she was truly loved. Eileen was selfless and always interested in the lives of others. She developed lifelong friendships with so many people and made a point to keep in touch and visit them.

Known as the G.O.A.T. (Grandma Of All Things and Greatest of All Time), Eileen’s life revolved around her family. She was extremely proud of her children, grandchildren and great grands and had a twinkle in her eye whenever talking about them. She attended EVERY baptism, confirmation, high school graduation, college graduation and wedding for her children and grandchildren. The family Fantasy Football league, “Grandma’s Clan,” kept her family connected after they began to move away and the draft parties and competition warmed her heart.

Eileen was greeted in heaven by her husband Don, her parents Elmer and Ruth, her brother Chet, her step daughter Linda Dorshak, her nephew BJ Kanoa and her great grandson Angel Baby Oas, as well as a multitude of other family and friends.

Eileen’s legacy lives on in the hearts and souls of her children and their children. She set a wonderful example of how to live and love, and her family is a pure reflection of that. Each of her children and grandchildren knew how much they were loved, a gift that will be treasured through eternity.

Her surviving family includes: 

Daughter Denise (Rob) Lorenz of La Crescent MN and their children Jessiann Coldwell (great grandsons Corbin and Knox Oas), Bryce, Brielle, Brynnae and Breigh Bierman 

Daughter Angela Vaughn of La Crosse, WI and her sons Joshua Pitek (great grandchildren Caleb and Emma) and Dylan Vaughn 

Son Matthew (Diane) Diestler of Neillsville, WI and their children Erin, Ashlee and Monte Diestler

Daughter Sarah Patten of Jacksonville, FL and her daughter Madisen and son Jack Patten.

She is also survived by stepchildren and family: son Phillip (Sonya) Whitman and his daughters Kim (great grandchildren Josh, Cassie, Jordan, Dakota, Jaxson and Lexi) and Tammy (great grandchildren Nate, Ashley and Levi), daughter Carol (Gary) Carlson and their sons Brian (great granddaughters Kennedy, Sophie & Avery) and Brad (Kari), son Michael (Paula) Whitman and their children Dylan, Emma and Katie and son Kent Whitman. She is survived by Annie (Koup) Khammanivong (great granddaughters Brittany and Brookelyn) and Jason (Jessica) Dorshak, children of daughter Linda (and husband Keith) Dorshak.

She always held her siblings close to her heart: sister Gladys (Isaac) Kanoa and their daughters Lianna and Suze, sister Carole (Dick) Steinke and their children Ryan and Rachel, sister in law Jackie Steinke and children Tim, Holly and Kori, sister Pam Berry and her sons Lucas and Curtis and brother Steve (Tina) Steinke and their children Justin and Stephanie.

Eileen loved and was loved by family and friends. We will miss her sign off: “Love You, Always have, always will!”

Eileen’s message to all of us: “Loved every minute of the ride and would like to go back to the beginning and do it all over again. To all of you who have given my life purpose, thank you.”

A Celebration of Life will be held with her Florida family and friends on Saturday, January 20, 2024 in the La Casa Condo Community Room 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM in Lake Wales. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on her birthday, Thursday, June 20, 2024, at the Wausau Botanical Gardens in Wausau, WI from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM. 

A private burial will be at Restlawn Cemetery in Wausau, WI. 

Cards and condolences may be sent in her name c/o Denise Lorenz, 605 Honeygold Ct., La Crescent, MN 55947. Memorials will be given to various organizations in her honor.

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