Echo G. Kowalzek

Echo G. Kowalzek, 95 year old resident of Little Falls, MN, passed away Monday, February 17, 2020, at Quiet Oaks Hospice in St. Augusta, MN. Funeral arrangements are pending with the Shelley Funeral Chapels in Little Falls, MN. Echo Geraldine Kowalzek was born in Little Falls, Minnesota on July 15, 1924 to Jens and Margaret (Waite) Andersen. She went to elementary school in different one-room school houses in eastern Pine County for the first four years of her education. Her family moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota where she completed her undergraduate education and received her high school diploma from Technical High School in 1942. She attended St. Cloud Teacher’s College and graduated with degrees in music education and history. On July 1, 1949, she was united in marriage to Arne Kowalzek. They shared 52 happy years together and had three daughters. During her teaching career, she taught music in Olivia and Rousseau before marriage and later, in the Morrison County country schools and at St. Mary’s School in Little Falls. Echo continued her education and was awarded a Master’s Degree in music in 1991. An active member of First United Church in Little Falls, Echo directed the church choir for decades, served on numerous committees and participated in bible study. For many years she wrote the scripts for the annual Christmas Tea. Echo was also very involved in the community, and was a founding member of the Friends of the Library and the Heartland Orchestra. She served on the boards and played viola and string bass for 37 years in the Heartland Symphony Orchestra, until her vision deteriorated and she could no longer read the music. She was actively involved with fundraising for the orchestra, including the annual Spring Style Show and silent auction. In 2018 the Orchestra named the Youth Concerto Competition after her in recognition of her many years of service with the orchestra. She was awarded the 2008 Book of Golden Deeds Award from the Exchange Club. Echo was also involved in the National Historic Preservation Society; she and Arne were active with the Morrison County Historical Society as well. In their spare time, Echo and Arne took Polish lessons, attended Elder Hostel retreats and traveled to Europe several times including going to Vienna to visit their daughter Sonia. A longtime quilter Echo enjoyed sewing many full-size quilts and lap robes as well as crib quilts for newly baptized babies in her church and family. A dedicated gardener she cultivated beautiful flower gardens around her home. She was also an avid reader of history, MN geology and mystery books, and fond of crossword puzzles and birdwatching. She loved to spend time with her grandchildren doing crafts, baking cookies and traveling to the North Shore of Lake Superior. Left to cherish her memory are her three daughters, Sonia (Michael Donoho) Kowalzek, Vienna, Austria, Mary Carroll, Tofte, Minnesota, and Beth Kowalzek, Little Falls, Minnesota; three grandchildren, Tom (Lilly) Carroll, Madison, Wisconsin, Erin (Jason) Oare, Rush City, Minnesota, and Britta Carroll, St. Paul Minnesota; as well as two great-grandchildren, Ana Carroll and Remedy Oare. Echo was preceded in death by husband, Arne Kowalzek; parents, Jens and Margaret Andersen; sisters, Jean Schwinn and Gloria Brockway. The family would like to thank the staff of CHI St. Gabriel's Health at Home and Hospice, and Quiet Oaks Hospice House for their wonderful care.

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Echo G. Kowalzek

July 15, 1924 - February 17, 2020