Vera Elleson, PhD

Vera J. Elleson, Ph.D., Pleasant Hill, MO, passed away at her home on February 12, 2005. Vera was born on August 19, 1934, in Minocqua, WI, to Stuart and Vera McCoy. She grew up in Tomahawk, WI, received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Master’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and a Doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of MissouriColumbia. She counseled elementary school children for 14 years, and later helped many clients through her 20 years as a licensed psychologist in private practice in Kansas City. She was a member of the American Psychological Association, the Missouri Psychological Association, and assisted under APA auspices with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. Vera was a member and past clerk of the Penn Valley Monthly Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers). She was highly regarded in the community and served on the Board of Directors of the Good Samaritan Project, GLADD, and MOCSA. She loved nature and especially birding, gardening, and yard work. She was an avid bridge player and reader, and she organized a bridge club and a book club to pursue these interests with others. She loved classical music. Vera will be remembered for her strength and dignity, her sense of ethics, the sense of trust she conveyed, her sense of humor, and her ability to bring people together not just with herself but also with each other. She valued education highly and was always learning and educating herself about things that interested her. She is remembered with love by her life partner Mary Lou Kaltenbach, Pleasant Hill, MO; daughter Linda Elleson; son Jim Elleson (Kay Butcher), Black Earth, WI; stepson Caleb Wilds (Amy) Kaltenbach, Simi Valley, CA; granddaughters Lia Joy (Jason) Rundle, Mazomanie, WI, and Elizabeth Vera Elleson, Black Earth, WI; and great-grandson Kyle Elleson. A memorial service will be scheduled for early spring. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Kansas City Hospice, Cancer Action Network, or the Nature Conservancy.