• Elsie was born on August 23, 1910, on a farm near Ferney. She was the ninth of 10 children born to John and Augusta Radke. The four sisters all eventually moved to Elgin, Ill., (The watch city), while the brothers all remained in the Ferney/Groton area. All of the Radke children attended a one-room schoolhouse a mile from the farm, but Elsie later went to Groton  High School when the parents moved to town.
• Elsie loved gardening and cooking, specially baking cakes,

pies and cookies. She learned from her mother, who would bake at least three loaves of bread every other day plus pastries. The exciting time was "harvest time" when the threshing crews would move from farm to farm and expect mountains of food as part of their pay.
• She was the second sister to move to Elgin just before the depression and worked as a receptionist in a doctor's office. She married Gordon Pilcher in 1936 and they had one son, Jim.
• Gordon was an avid sports fan and Elsie soon was cheering for all of the Chicago sports teams, but her favorite was always the Cubs. After Gordon retired from the Northern Illinois Gas Co., they spent as much time as possible with their three grandchildren. After Gordon died, Elsie moved to Phoenix in 1994 to live with Jim, his wife Penny, and their sons, Kurt and Darren. She loved to play pinochle and found a place to play every Tuesday and Thursday when she joined the Senior Center. She suffered a mini-stroke on April 27, 2012, received excellent care from Grace Hospice at home, and died peacefully in her sleep on May 11, 2012.
• Elsie was preceded in death by her husband, parents, siblings and granddaughter, Krista. She is survived by her son, Jim and Penny, grandsons Kurt and Darren and great-granddaughters Madison and Genevieve.
• A memorial service will be held at the St. John's Lutheran Church in Elgin, Ill, on June 9 with burial in Lakewood Cemetery following the ceremony. The Rev. Bill Paepke will officiate. Jim said Elsie's nephew will perform the sermon. He gave the sermon for two of her brothers and gave each of them a nickname, which was then included on their headstone. Elsie's nickname will be "The Baker."
• Elsie was known at the senior center for her Pinochle skills. She played every Tuesday and Thursday at the center and often won. When her health began to decline, Jim says she told him she wanted him to do something at the senior center to remember her. It's the place she spent so much time and also where she celebrated

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