SEATTLE, Wash. — Adelle W. Day passed away Thursday, June 7, 2012. She was a treasured mother, grandmother, wife and friend. Adelle lived 102 years with dignity and grace, embracing life with a balance of wonder and pragmatism. She had numerous hobbies, a fondness for fashion, a penchant for card games (especially bridge), and sweet spot for pot roast, ethnic food and hard candy; but, first and foremost, she loved her family. The sixth of eight children, Adelle Wiskow Day was born in Merrill, Wis., on Sept. 11, 1909, to Adelina Aschbrenner Wiskow and Charles Jacob Wiskow. The family later moved to Milwaukee, Wis., where she graduated from Custer High School in 1927. Adelle was uncommonly adventurous for a woman of her era. After putting herself through business college at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she worked at Shorewood High School. She sought out opportunities to discover other parts of the country. She lived and worked in Los Angeles, Calif., in the 1930s and Washington, D.C., through World War II, where she fondly remembered traveling up the Eastern seaboard, taking sailing trips off the coast of Maine and horseback riding. She would later encourage her own daughters to expand their horizons through travel and personal exploration. She met her life partner, George Day, shortly after moving back to Wisconsin in 1945. He had just returned as a chief naval officer from the war. They married in Milwaukee in 1947 and would live to celebrate 50-plus years of marriage. The greatest joy of her life was being a mother and having two girls at the late age of 40 and 42. She was a devoted mother, sewing their clothes, taking leadership roles in Girl Scouts, dance classes, Twirlettes and the PTA. Professionally, she served as a personnel director and administrative secretary for the Watertown Hospital, Watertown, Wis., and later worked as a secretary for several local attorneys. Adelle was also an active community member and participated in local garden clubs, bridge clubs, the Saturday Club, Women Deacons at the Congregational Church, dance club and Eastern Star. She took pleasure in homemaking and enjoyed hosting bridge luncheons, dinner parties and attending dances. Her competitive streak and determination won her many card and board games and brought much laughter to her family and friends. Her continued love of learning inspired her to take a variety of evening classes throughout her adulthood ranging in topics from Spanish, upholstering and furniture refinishing, and sewing. Gardening and flower-arranging were also lifelong interests; her garden was aglow with violets, peonies, irises, tulips, hosta, lilies, sedum and phlox. When she and George retired, they grew tomatoes and beans and enjoyed their annual harvests. She even knew the names of a dozen different flowers in a flower arrangement by her bedside the week before she passed away! Adelle and George moved to Seattle to be closer to family in 1998 where they resided at Northaven Senior Retirement Apartments. George passed away at their home in July 2001. Adelle resided at Northaven until March 2012, and continued to travel to visit family out of state past her 100th birthday. Her poise and gratitude remained defining characteristics through her final months, even though she never regained strength after she fell and broke her hip early this spring. Adelle is survived by her daughters, Linda and Kathleen and their families, including four grandchildren, one great-grandson, Gabe. A private service will be held in Wisconsin at a later date.

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