Edith Elizabeth Prosen

Liisa was born in Gwinn, MI on October 9, 1930 to Aliina and Julius Koski, the youngest of three daughters and one son. When she entered kindergarten, she spoke only Finnish. She enjoyed swimming in summers and ice skating in winters. As a young teen, she was devastated by the death of her brother “Fritzi,” in WWII. After graduating from Gwinn High School, she worked alongside her mother at the H. W. Gossard Factory. Soon after, she moved to the big city of Marquette, where she began working at Michigan Bell as a telephone operator. She married Edward Prosen on September 23, 1950, the man she described as her “good-looking hubby” just days before she passed away.

While her old friends and family knew her as Liisa, she was known as Edith in Marquette. Edith worked the switchboard at St. Luke’s Hospital for several years. She was then employed for many years with Surgical Associates of Marquette, where she finished her career as Office Manager.

Religion was important to Edith. She was a member of Grace Lutheran Church in Gwinn, and she was a founding member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Marquette. Working alongside her friend Jean Perala, Edith coordinated Thanksgiving Dinners at St. Mark’s for many years.

Her Finnish heritage was also important to Edith. She grew up with a sauna on Little Shag Lake, and continued the Saturday night sauna tradition late in life. She baked countless loaves of cardamom bread, pans of kropsua, and innumerable prune tarts. Edith used her fluency in Finnish to assist elderly Finns. She radiated “Sisu.”

Grandma Prosen loved her grandchildren. In their early years, some of her grandchildren went to “Grandma-school” where they learned the alphabet, solved tricky math problems, and ate too many snacks.

Edith was married to Edward for 73 years. Edward passed away in January, 2024. She is survived by three daughters, Christine (Steve) Platt of Charlottesville, VA; Cynthia Prosen (Thomas Schacht) of West Bloomfield, MI; and Barbara (William) Quinlan of Traverse City, MI; grandchildren Stephen Platt, Alexander Platt, Benjamin Platt, Joseph Schacht, Keturah Schacht, Eric Schacht, Lauren Quinlan, Ryan Quinlan, and Kevin Quinlan; great grandchildren Juniper Platt, Allison Roscoe, Ian Roscoe, Juliana Schacht, Rosalind Schacht; dear nephew Donald Koski and his wife, Carol, and many nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband Edward, Edith was preceded in death by her parents and by siblings Frederick Koski, Elaine Weir, and Dagnie Tonnon.

According to family wishes, there will be no visitation. Memorial donations may be made to the Peter White Public Library in Marquette, or to Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly in Marquette.