Mary Ann Carroll Funk

Mary Ann Carroll Funk was born April 20, 1925 in Bay City, Michigan, and died peacefully on June 14, 2016, surrounded by family.

As a child her young brother John mis-pronounced Mary Ann as “Mim”, so thereafter she was “Mim” to all. She attended St. Mary`s College in South Bend, Indiana. At a tea dance in her senior year she met a dashing young Air Force pilot, Fred Funk. Fred asked her to dance and very quickly had no eyes for anyone but a beautiful, willowy, blue eyed Irish girl named Mim. They were married in 1947 and settled near Fred`s family in La Crosse, Wisconsin, raising a family of three children. Mim and Fred were perfect companions, embracing all of life’s adventures, and were married for 65 years, until Fred’s passing in 2012.

Mim was a cherished wife and beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Mim, Mom, Mimom, or Grammy, as she became known, gave sparkling laughter and joy to all who knew her. She was thoughtful to everyone and had extra kindness and compassion for those who needed it most. She adored her husband, children, grandchildren, great grand children, nieces and nephews. All the kids in the neighborhood loved her. Her hospitality, generosity, wit, love of words, music, goofy things, and her Irish laughter made her presence a treasure to all.

Mim and Fritz later moved to Brice Prairie, spending four decades on the shores of Lake Onalaska, exploring backwaters, cross-country skiing, hosting river outings for children, grandchildren and friends. They became part of the fabric of life on Brice Prairie.

Mim was a gifted writer, with a keen eye for observation. She published a book, “Poems and Prose”, with beautifully crafted writings of life on Brice Prairie, nature, and family. Mim created marvelously whimsical pencil drawings to accompany her poems, letters, and cards. She also used her extraordinary writing and editing skills to help her husband Fred in championing his many conservation causes.

Mim is the last of the five children in her quick-witted, Irish-humored Carroll family. She is survived by three children, Mary Ann “Mimi” (Dan) Rathburn, Frederick “Fritz” (Gail) Funk, JoAnn (Steve) Marking, three grandchildren, Jeff (Claire) Rathburn, Katie (Greg) Dziad, and Joseph Funk, and four great grandchildren, Isabelle, Niles, Ben and Lily. Mim was a woman of great faith. We will miss her dearly but we are happy as she will be reunited in heaven with her dear husband and all her departed family. Her Irish eyes will be smiling.

The family wishes to thank the wonderfully caring staff at Bluffview Memory Care for the loving attention they gave to Mim in the final chapter of her life.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:00 AM, Monday June 27, 2016, at St. Elizabeth’s Catholic Church, 515 N. Main Street, Holmen, WI. Rev. John Parr will officiate with burial to be held at the Catholic Cemetery in La Crosse, WI. Family and friends may call from 9:00 AM until the time of Mass at Church, and from 4 to 6:00 PM on Sunday, June 26, 2016, at Blaschke & Schneider Funeral Home, 1501 West Ave. South, La Crosse, WI.

Memorials honoring Mary Ann Funk can be sent to the La Crosse Community Foundation, Fred and Mary Ann Funk Family Fund, 401 Main St., Ste. 205, La Crosse, Wi 54601 (or online at www.laxcommfoundation.com), Gundersen Medical Foundation, or St Elizabeth Ann Seton church of Holmen, Wisconsin

A tribute of Mim`s life may also be found at; https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mimfunk