Lillian Fossum

Lillian “June” Fossum, 92, formally from Frederic, WI, died January 22, 2019 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease at Christian Community Home of Osceola.
June Ausen was born on the family farm in Alden Township near Wagon Landing, Wisconsin on June 13, 1926 to Martin and Gertrude Ausen. In 1934, the family moved to Amery where June lived until she graduated from high school in 1944. She then attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison where she earned a degree in English in 1948. During her time at college, she met a sailor named Jens Fossum and they were married a month after her graduation. The couple moved to Jens’s home town of Frederic where they resided until moving to Osceola in 2016.
June was a high school English teacher at Centuria for the first few years of her career, later taking a job at Frederic where she also taught speech and family living. While at FHS, she took a record number of students to state in forensics and also served as advisor to the student newspaper and the cheerleading squad. She retired from teaching in 1988, always regretting that she had not continued to work longer in the job that she really loved.
June was a voracious reader and loved playing cards, especially 500 and bridge. She was also an avid walker and a skilled dance partner to her equally smooth husband. She was an active member of the Frederic Lioness club and Pilgrim Lutheran Church, where she served as secretary to the Ladies Aid for over 30 years. She also traveled extensively during her lifetime and was a classy dresser and a fantastic cook. But above all she was a wonderful wife and mother who was loved and appreciated more than she ever knew.
She is survived by her husband of 70 years, Jens Fossum; as well as her 3 children: Bruce (Sandy) of Rochester, MN, Brian (Linda) of Eau Claire, WI, Karen (Tim) of Osceola, WI; her beloved grandchildren: Croix, Carson, Colter and Carl; step-grandchildren: Sam, Britta, Sloane and Caitlin; sibling, Glen Ausen of Billings, MT; her former card playing partners in Frederic and wherever else someone was shuffling a deck.
June is preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Vernon, Wayne and Gene; sisters: Isabelle, Lorraine and Fern; along with several other relatives and host of lifelong friends and former students.
A memorial service will be held at Pilgrim Lutheran Church in Frederic on Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 11:00 AM (visitation from 10-11:00 AM) with Pastor Roger Pittman. Assisting with arrangements were Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home in Siren, WI. Online condolences may be expressed at www.swedberg-taylor.com.