Edris M. “Edie” Drake

PORTAGE — Edris M. “Edie” Drake, 68, of Portage, passed away Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, at her home.
Edris was born March 18, 1941, in Poynette, the daughter of M. Roy and Elsie Hansford Drake. She grew up on the family farm at Drake Road and Highway 22 in the town of Lowville. She attended the one-room Lowville Center School and graduated from Poynette High School in 1959. Following high school, she lived in Madison and was employed at the Bank of Madison. Edie was employed for many years in the dietary department at Divine Savior Nursing Home, and more recently, did housekeeping at several local motels. She was married to Roger L. Larson, a former Columbia County deputy, and had two children, Anthony and Julie. She was later married to William D. Kleiman and had a daughter, Kristal.
She is survived by three children, Anthony “Tony” (Elizabeth) Larson of California, Julie (Don) Cutsforth of Portage and Kristal (Lorin) Staveness of Portage; her brother, Carlin “Pete” (Madeline) Drake of South Carolina; her sister, Carol Drake of Waunakee; 10 grandchildren, Nathan, Liezel, Jason “JJ”, Elisha and Roger Larson, all of California, Erika Ness of Madison, Michael Ness of California and TJ Ness of Portage, and Shaina and Kyle Schrank of Portage; two great-grandchildren, Jakyra of California and Hays of Portage; nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and a niece, Cheryl Lynn McCormick.
Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Pflanz Mantey Mendrala Funeral Home in Portage, with the Rev. Tom Countryman officiating. Visitation will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Inurnment will be held in the spring at Rocky Run Cemetery, town of Lowville.
Memorials may be made to Poynette/Inch United Methodist Church in Poynette.
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