Florence Quinn

Florence A. Quinn, 98, died Monday, December 19, 2016. Born to Albert and Bertha (Genske) Vinje in 1918 in McFarland, Wisconsin, she was the youngest of five and the last to leave her parents' home. Her father, needing help on the farm, made her his "hired hand" and she spent much of her youth working the fields and caring for the animals rather than in the house learning all the homemaking skills considered appropriate at the time. Consequently, she learned that she could do anything a man could do, an attitude that came in very handy later in life.
She met Robert "Blackie" Quinn in 1942 and they were married February 27, 1943, a true whirlwind romance. They had two daughters, Carol, and Joyce, and Flo was a working mother well before working mothers were the norm. Bob worked days, Flo worked nights, and between them they made a home for their family. Once both girls were in school full time, Flo went to night school to further her education. She learned to operate a comptometer, an early form of calculator, and was hired at the very first job she applied for at General Telephone, now Verizon.
In the fifties, Bob and Flo decided it was time to enlarge their tiny one-bedroom house and, working side-by-side, they more than doubled the size of the house. Flo wielded a hammer, a saw, a drill, and did whatever needed to be done, ending up with a four-bedroom house. The only work that was hired out was the digging and building of the new foundation. It took more than a year and was one of their proudest accomplishments.
She had other skills as well. Housekeeping was not her forte, but sewing and cooking were. She made many of her own clothes and those of her children as well, and when her oldest granddaughter got married, Flo made her wedding dress. She did magnificent crewel embroidery and counted cross stitch and enjoyed showing off her work. Oh, and her cooking and baking! Every year before Christmas, she made several kinds of homemade candy--fudge, peanut brittle, mixed nut brittle, three or four kinds of caramels (each one individually wrapped) and gave it away to family and friends. Her grandchildren each received a giant gingerbread boy cookie with a crisp, clean dollar bill folded accordion-style lengthwise and fastened with frosting at his neck as a bowtie, something they still talk about today.
They also talk about her jewelry, especially her earrings, which almost always depicted the nearest holiday. Thus, she wore hearts for Valentine, bunnies for Easter, Christmas bells for Christmas, so she was always in holiday mode.
Flo is survived by her daughters, Carol Knight and Joyce Quinn, her grandchildren Valerie Quinn (Larry Lane), Dawn Taylor, Todd Knight (Debbie), Billie Jo Bowers (Gary), and Cheyenne Churley. She is also survived by 10 great-grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Earl, Stanley, and Arne Vinje, her sister, Mabel Oen and her husband Robert Quinn.
Life is made of memories and Flo left many pleasant ones.
Funeral services will be held at Cress Funeral Service, 3325 E. Washington Ave., Madison, WI 53704 on Friday, December 23, 2016. Visitation is at 2 pm and services will be held at 3 pm. No graveside service is planned. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity.
Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com.

Cress Funeral and Cremation Service
3325 E. Washington Ave., Madison
(608)249-6666