.gif)
The Eagle Lake Chamber of Commerce has chosen to honor a local woman who passed away earlier this year posthumously by naming her as the 2024 Christmas Parade Marshall.
Mary Ann Kaluza, the woman posthumously chosen as the 2024 Christmas Parade Marshall passed away at the age of 74 on April 15 in Eagle Lake.
Every year the EL Chamber of Commerce selects a local resident who has contributed their time and energy to the betterment of the city to serve as the Christmas Parade Marshall.
Kaluza was the daughter of Miles Theuman and Mary Theuman and was married to her husband Johnnie Kaluza for 37 years before his passing.
Kaluza raised two children alongside her husband Johnnie, Susan Kaluza Gertson and John Kaluza, and was a grandmother to four grandchildren, Drew Gertson, Tyler Gertson, John Allen and Michael Kaluza.
Kaluza worked for 50 years in the insurance business, with a stint at the Robert Griffith Insurance Agency in Eagle Lake and later became the Eagle Lake Branch Manager for the Baumgart Agency, being dubbed by many in Eagle Lake as “their insurance lady.” She retired in 2021 at the age of 72 to spend time with family members and friends.
Everyone who knew Kaluza knew she was dedicated to her hometown. She contributed countless hours in many local organizations, including Revitalize Eagle Lake, the Eagle Lake Chamber of Commerce, The Downtown Association, and Friends of the Library. She was also very busy in her church, spending much of her time at the Parish of the Nativity Catholic Church.
A lover of traveling, Kaluza has ventured across many parts of the world, from Hawaii to Europe, Disney World, a bus tour through the Northeastern United States to see the changes in the season and an Alaskan cruise as her final journey.
Kaluza’s closest friends ensure she will never be forgotten as a friend, a volunteer and a community supporter, and emphasize how much she did in her time for so many organizations in the city.
Kaluza’s grandsons will be taking part in the parade this year, riding in the Parade Marshall’s position to honor the memories they have of her bringing them to town each year to watch the Christmas parade pass by.
