Kaki Block

Mary Katherine "Kaki" Edwards Block died on Oct. 24, 2025, while in the care of New Perspectives Senior Living Prior Lake Minnesota for a combination of Parkinson's and dementia.

Kaki was born March 21, 1951, in Baraboo, Wisconsin, to the late Robert and Mary (Wiegand) Edwards, along with her sister, the late Marjorie Kowalke. Kaki was a graduate of Baraboo High School class of 1969. From Baraboo, she attended and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stout with a degree in Early Childhood Education. She began her career as a Title 4 preschool teacher in Gillett, Wisconsin. On July 13, 1974, she married Marlin Block on a very hot and humid day in Baraboo. In the summer of 1977, Marlin and Mary moved to Rothschild, Wisconsin, where Marlin was hired as a K-6 Elementary Guidance Counselor in the D.C. Everest School District. Kaki decided she would like to become an elementary school teacher and attended UW-Stevens Point to receive her K-6 certification. She started teaching first grade at Schofield Elementary and moved to a fifth-grade position at Rothschild Elementary, where she taught for the next 24 years.

Kaki loved to teach history to her fifth-graders, she loved to travel, and she loved to have a good party. She was proud that she was able to travel to all 50 states, and she toured several European countries, compliments of her Aunt Marjorie.

Christmas was a special event for Kaki. Opening presents became quite an adventure, and her favorite traditions included some kind of game to determine who opened next. She had many beloved friends, all of whom she cherished. At UW-Stout, she met her forever friends, known as the Green House Girls, who continue to have yearly reunions. Moe and Mary, Mark and Nancy, Scott and Laure, Jim and Rose, and John and Carey were great friends and traveling companions. Kaki also enjoyed being a member of The Book Club. Fellow members supported Kaki even when reading became more difficult.

Kaki loved spending time with her family and was a proud mother, grandmother, and aunt. She is survived by her husband, Marlin, their son Dustin (Clare Pfeiffer), along with grandchildren Rocke, Wesley, and Eliot from Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan; and their daughter Kristin Carlson (Greg Carlson) with grandchildren Camiryn and Zoey of Shakopee, Minnesota. Kaki is also survived by her sister's children Derek Kowalke (Avery), Amanda Kowalke, and Leslie Waterbury and her children Alissa, Tia, and Leo.

We would like to thank New Perspectives Senior Living for the wonderful care. Kaki would like to express gratitude to UW-Stevens Point professor Dr. Brett Barker for helping her spread the joy of history to her fifth-graders, and she would like to thank the D.C. Everest School District for allowing her to be a teacher.

A family gathering will be held on a future date, and a celebration of life will be held in Wausau, Wisconsin, sometime in the spring. Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation will handle the arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift to The Rescue Pack in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a 501(c)(3) all-volunteer, foster-based organization that rescues, rehabilitates and rehomes animals in Minnesota and neighboring states.

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