A Visitation for Willa Krause will be held from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Saturday, January 17, 2015 in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home.

Willa. Krause, 80, of Rochester, died at St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester on Thursday, January 8, 2015 due to health complications.

Willa was born on November 28, 1934 in Chickasha, Oklahoma to Rex Wilford and Sallie Eulalia (Gilliam) McClintock.  After graduating from High School, Willa entered San Diego State College and earned her teaching degree.  She met her husband, Edward Raymond Krause, while he was stationed in San Diego serving in the US Navy.  The couple married in Connecticut and moved frequently with the military; Honolulu, Hawaii; Vallejo, California; Charleston, South Carolina and then to Rochester, Minnesota in 1966.  Edward Krause passed away in 1984.

Willa was a substitute teacher in Rochester and later worked for Sears Department Store for many years before retiring.

She is survived by three children: Karyn (Randy) Watson of Zumbro Falls, Keith (Terri) Krause of Rochester, and Kristyne (Ron) Ellefson of Rochester; four grandchildren, Richard (Brittney) Watson of Rochester, Dr. Ryan (Randali) Watson of La Crosse, WI, Sarah Ellefson of Rochester and Shannon Wolters of Rochester; three great-grandchildren, Gwendolyn and Penellapi Watson of La Crosse, WI, and a third Baby Watson of Rochester, arriving within weeks.

Willa had a gentle spirit and greeted everyone with a warm smile.  She had a love of sewing and enjoyed making blankets and bibs for her great-grandchildren.  She encouraged all things educational and was a lover of books.  She loved to tell stories of her life on the road with her parents.  She enjoyed fishing and spending time at the family cabin in Hackensack, MN.  She was an avid gardener throughout her life and passed her wisdom onto her grandchildren.  Time spent with her family and grandchildren was precious to her.

Memorials are suggested to the Diabetes Foundation.

On-line condolences are welcome at www.mackenfuneralhome.com