Alice Kasten

Alice H. Kasten, 84, of the Chateau Girardeau retirement community in Cape Girardeau died Monday, June 27, 2011, at Chateau Gardens Health Center.

She was born April 28, 1927, in Pittsburg, Kan., daughter of Harry Issac and Helen Gauggel Comstock. She and Nelson H. Kasten were married Jan. 30, 1949, at First Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg.

Following prior residence in Webster Groves and Wildwood in St. Louis County, they moved to Chateau Girardeau Estates in 1997.

Alice was a 1948 graduate of Washington University School of Nursing in St. Louis. She worked in neurosurgery at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis. After raising her two children, and a refresher course in 1967, Alice returned to her nursing profession with involvement in the developing field of infectious disease control at two major St. Louis hospitals, St. Louis Children's and St. John's Mercy, where she was their first infection control nurse.

In St. Louis, Alice was a past member and officer of PEO Chapter EL and Alpha Iota Chapter of Psi Psi Psi, a sorority for mothers of Delta Delta Delta. She was international president of Psi Psi Psi 1986 to 1989.

After moving to Cape Girardeau, she became a member of Alpha Omega Chapter of Psi Psi Psi. Alice was a deacon at Webster Groves Presbyterian Church and, in Cape Girardeau, a member of First Presbyterian Church. She was an avid reader, loved family, enjoyed travel, was a St. Luke's Hospital volunteer, maintained a lifelong interest in women's church work and remained enthused about piano and classical music.

While making new friends along the way, she has maintained a lasting friendship of 65 years with her WUSN classmates.

Survivors include her husband, Nelson; a daughter, Barbara (David) Hiatt of Ballwin, Mo.; a son, Donald (Cindy) Kasten of Billings, Mont.; three grandchildren, Rachel Hiatt of San Francisco, Samantha (Branden) Baer of Louisville, Ky., Nathan Hiatt of Ballwin; a brother, retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard I. (Norma) Comstock of Pittsburg; and a great-grandson, Ryan Michael Baer, born May 17, 2010.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home.

The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the funeral home, with the Revs. Karen Dumey and Jeff Long officiating. Interment will be in Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield at a later date.

If desired, memorial contributions may be made to Southeast Hospice, Psi Psi Psi Sorority Scholarship Fund (2030 Sherwood Dr., Cape Girardeau), Chateau Foundation at Chateau Girardeau or First Presbyterian Church.

Online condolences may be made at www.fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.