Ellen Gertrude Perkins Keuseman, 91, of Willmar, Minn., died Dec. 29, 2014 at her home in Willmar.

Ellen was born in Castle Rock, Minn. on Oct. 1, 1923. The youngest daughter of Ross B. Perkins and Leticia A. VanSlyke, she acquired the family nickname “Trude”, a contraction of “Gertrude”, as her name was easily confused with her older sister, Helen. The family lived in Castle Rock until her father’s death in 1928. Her mother moved the family to Northfield, Minn. She graduated from Northfield High School and briefly attended St. Olaf College before transferring to the University of Minnesota, from where she graduated in 1945 with a bachelor’s degree in education. She later went back to school to receive a certification in teaching emotionally disturbed adolescents.

She met Gilbert Kueseman while teaching in Bird Island, Minn., and they were married on June 24, 1948 in Le Center, Minn. Ellen and Gil had four boys: Glen, Jim, Dohn, and Steve. They lived in Le Center, Minn.; Yankton, S.D.; and Alexandria, Minn. before settling in Willmar. Her husband Gil passed away in 1964; faced with raising four young boys on her own, she resumed teaching in the Willmar Public School district. She taught for many years in the adolescent unit at the Willmar Regional Treatment Center before retiring in 1987.

Ellen loved to travel, heading to four different continents. She loved photography and took many pictures during her travels. In retirement, she added pets to her life: a dog, Cobber, and a cat, Patches.

She devoted a lot of time and energy to her church. She was a devoted member of United Methodist Church in Willmar. She touched many lives through her humble and caring dedication to family and friends. She was a strong, quiet person. She had a long life, not devoid of trials and misfortune, but happy. She was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by her family and many friends.

Ellen is survived by her sons: Glen, Jim and wife Suzanne, Dohn, and Steve and wife Cathy; six grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; and sister, Jeanne Schnacke. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, and siblings Norman Perkins and Helen Stegemann.