Mary Jane "Marty" Stark

Mary Jane (Marty) Stark, of Madison, Wisconsin, died peacefully at home on August 26, 2025, at age 97.

Jane, as she was called by everyone who knew her, was born on November 30, 1927, in Janesville, Wisconsin, the second daughter of Fritz and Mildred Marty. As a child her family lived in Broadhead, Rice Lake, and Monroe, Wisconsin, graduating from Monroe High School in 1945 and Beloit College in 1949. After graduation she moved to Madison, where she worked as an administrative assistant for Oscar Meyer. She met the love of her life Phil Stark on a blind date, and they were married on June 28 1952. Together they had three boys, Dave, Jeff and Tom.

Both Jane and Phil were proud members of the Greatest Generation, and their lives together reflected the values and aspirations of that time. While Phil was building his career at Stark Company Realtors, his family business, Mom stayed at home raising three rambunctious boys. Meals were never missed, appointments always kept, and the home was always welcoming. She was particularly popular with the boy’s friends for the “candy drawer” that was always available, well stocked, and easy to reach, with no restrictions on access. When lunch was ready, she rang a cowbell around the neighborhood to get everyone to come home. She provided the family with all the best that the Baby Boom generation enjoyed.

Despite the demands of motherhood, she engaged with life outside the home on multiple levels. She was active in a number of organizations, including Pi Beta Phi, PEO, and Attic Angels, and for years transcribed print books into Braille for Volunteer Braillists and Tapists Inc. She was an avid gardener who took particular pride in her rose bushes, and was an excellent knitter and seamstress. She enjoyed golf, tennis, bridge, and mahjongg, and was a good skier and swimmer. She and Phil loved the north woods, and in 1980 they built a cottage on Papoose Lake near Manitowish Waters that provided her and her family with many of their best memories. She loved nothing more than spending her summers up at the lake. She was an avid Badgers, Packers, and Brewers fan, never missing a game in person or on TV. In later life when the kids were gone, Jane and Phil spent many days traveling the world with good friends and relatives.

Jane had a naturally vivacious personality that drew people of all ages to her. She had many close friends, and she mixed easily with everyone. She loved to entertain, and the family pictures and home movies are packed with scenes of dinner parties and social events. Later in life, her hearing and mobility became challenged, but through it all, she never lost her focus on the family, and took great pleasure in being a grandma to seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Family was everything to her, right to the end.

The family would like to express its deepest gratitude to Liz Humphries, Sharyl Gosselin, and all the wonderful caregivers from Seasons of Life who made it possible for Jane to stay in her home to the end of her life. We are also thankful to the staff of Agrace Hospice who helped keep her comfortable and out of the hospital during her final days.

Jane was preceded in death by her husband Phil. She is survived by her sister Ann Wilkinson; her sons David (Marcie), Jeff, and Tom (Tracey); grandchildren Nathan (Keely) Stotlar, Christopher (Jennifer), Alison (Kevin) Booske, Robert, Julie (Michael Leimbach), Ethan (Jesi Williams, fiancé), and Matt; and six great grandchildren Teagan, Calum, Conner, Henry, Vienna and Ryker.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 AM on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 326 South Segoe Road, Madison. A visitation will be held at the church preceding the service, starting at 10:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorials be made to Agrace Hospice Care, Covenant Presbyterian Church, or The United Way of Dane County.

Please share your memories at www.cressfuneralservice.com

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