Mary Kruchten

Mazomanie- Mary Kruchten, age 63, passed away on Saturday, December 17th at St Mary's hospital, with her family surrounding her. Mary was born on March 9th, 1953, in Columbus daughter of Eugene and Mary Lou (Underdahl) Bittner. She graduated from West High School in 1971. In 1972, she married Paul Kruchten at Bethel Church in Madison. She attended cosmetology school as well as MATC. Mary worked at the local Café in Black Earth so she could be near her young daughter. She also was a Partylite consultant for more than 15 years. She loved meeting and forming friendships with hostesses and other consultants. Later she worked at Lands' End and Dean Health Plan for more than a decade each. She loved both companies & cherished the friendships she made.

She enjoyed doing many things; attending musicals, biking, camping, and spending weekends at their cabin in Westfield. She had a passion for traveling both here & abroad. Every year, her husband, daughter and she went on vacation traveling to a different state each time. She loved going places and allowing time to take in everything it had to offer. She loved being with people and enjoyed being with her family and friends as much as time allowed. Her most treasured time each year was her week up north at Women's Week with fellow Girl Scouts. She attended for more than 25 years only missing one year while on vacation overseas.

Mary had the best heart and spirit. She was always positive, optimistic, and extremely outgoing. Her smile and warmth was enough to fill a room with cheer. She was hard working and saw value in every task. She supported people and believed in everyone, especially the underdog. She loved to have a good time and laugh; her laugh was absolutely infectious to all around her. At times, Mary would laugh so hard that she was doubled over and had tears streaming down her face. A person couldn't help but start laughing just at the sight of how hard she was laughing. Then, after she couldn't take her stomach hurting anymore, she would hold her hand up in order to call off the laughing. However, one could never stop laughing because Mary was the one causing the laughter!

She also loved to help people. When her daughter was young, there wasn't a Girl Scout troop for her daughter or her friends to join. Mary jumped in to fill the void and became the troop leader for six years. She was a wonderful leader that organized camping trips, field trips, craft projects, and so much more for that group of girls. For many years, at both Lands' End and Dean Health Plan, Mary coordinated the Red Cross Blood Drive and was passionate about donating blood and convinced others to donate. Mary was able to become an Organ Donor, giving the gift of life to two people and their families this holiday season. During this most difficult time of our lives, it gives us peace and joy to know that Mary is smiling and soaring above with the knowledge that through her last breath, she helped people like no other could.

It is hard to say enough good things about Mary. Simply said, she was the best. She was the backbone of our family and always put her husband and daughter before herself. She was a supportive and wonderful wife. She was a nurturing mother who dedicated her life to raising her daughter and instilling values to make sure she was hard working, strong, kind to others, and fun. She was an active part of every event or moment in her daughter's life. She truly understood that life was made up of simple moments that bring a person joy and to never take those for granted.

She is survived by her husband, Paul; daughter, Amy Kruchten (Thomas Hersey); mother, Mary Lou Davis; sister, Rose Davis (Dave Miller); brother, Jay (Cheryl) Davis; sister-in-law, Carla (Mike) Austin, nieces and nephews, and aunt and cousins. She was preceded in death by her father, Eugene Bittner and step-father Martin Davis.

We would like to thank the ICU and Respiratory staff at St. Mary's. Their empathy, compassion, and caring nature was a blessing to us every single day, and we are grateful to have had their support throughout this tragic time.

Visitation will be held on January 5, 2017, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.at the Winn-Cress Funeral Home, 5785 Highway Q, Waunakee. A Funeral service will held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday Jan 6, 2017 at Bonnet Prairie Church N3694 Old F Road in Rio, WI. Friends may also call Friday at the church from 10:00 a.m. until the time of services. In lieu of flowers, the family will be designating a Memorial at a later date.

Winn-Cress Funeral Home
5785 Hwy Q
Waunakee, WI