Sparta - Marion (Schultz) Semann, of Sparta, WI, passed away October 22, 2022, at the Morrow Home. She was born on January 15, 1929 to William and Ethel (Kroll) Schultz.
She was united in marriage to Peter Semann on September 8, 1948 at St. John’s Catholic Church on Summit Ridge. After marrying, they lived on an 80-acre dairy farm and had seven children: Elaine, Robert, Joan, John, Peter, Ron, and Theresa.
Marion’s love of family was a centerpiece of her life, along with her Catholic faith. She served in the Altar Society at St. John’s Catholic Church for many years. After losing her husband Peter in 1990, she eventually moved off the family farm in 1997 to Sparta, Wisconsin. She then became an active member of St. Patrick’s Parish, serving with the PCCW.
While Marion enjoyed life in town, she clearly loved living in the country and was proud of the farm and the family that she and Pete were able to grow together. She liked raising chickens and, according to her kids, made the best baked chicken around. Her grandchildren’s favorite, however, was her famous English toffee every Christmas, which she continued to make well into her late 80s. It was the perfect consistency, a flavor that will never quite be repeated. A superb baker and cook, she was also a savvy euchre player, who liked to play to win. Many rounds of euchre were played around her wooden kitchen table along with a family board game, “Don’t Get Mad”, a name by which not all the players could abide.
In addition to her love of games, she also loved crafting and quilting. She enjoyed giving cozy quilts of breathtaking beauty to her grandchildren for gifts on special occasions, such as when they graduated from high school. Her meticulous handiwork will keep her family warm with her memory for years to come. As long as she was able to dig in the soil, she also kept her affinity for gardening going. She canned thousands of jars of produce over her lifetime and her family can still remember the taste of plump grapes off the vines on the family farm. She was all about keeping busy and made the most of the land that she tended, whether the acreage on her dairy farm or her garden box of fresh veggies in her backyard in Sparta.
Marion also loved to see wildlife, especially a small herd of deer close to dusk, and she was always ready to take a long ride in the country with her children or grandchildren. If that ride ended with a stop for a butterscotch sundae, so much the better.
As her children had families of their own, she enjoyed caring for her twenty grandchildren, teaching them about fishing and baking and gardening and how to live a good life anchored by faith. To see her interact with her great-grandchildren in her later years was a delight, a sparkle in her eyes when she got to hold a new great-grandchild for the first time and then watch the little ones grow and thrive.
There are no words to express just how deeply her love and laughter and resilient spirit will be missed by her family and all those who knew her. She was a one-of-a-kind lady who would do anything for her family. Her family knows she is heaven’s gain, but the deep love they have for her and how they miss her smile and her hugs will never change.
She is survived by her children: Elaine (Dan) Hauser of Kansas City, Missouri; Robert (Kathy) Semann of Norwalk, WI; Joan (Gene) Kuderer of Sparta, WI; John (Doreen) Semann of Lakewood, Washington; Peter (Deb) Semann of Dakota, MN; and Theresa (Tom) Schreier of Westby, WI. She is also survived by her 20 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, and her siblings: Ruth (Delmar) Donskey, Edwina (Maurice) Olson, Beulah (Charley) Sanders, William (Carrie) Schultz, along with many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Peter; siblings, Harvey (Ann) Schultz, Ines (Herman) Dinger, Blanche (Elmer) Wagner, Evelyn (Henry) Schmitz, Leo (Catherine) Schultz, Kermit Schultz, Ervin Schultz, Theodore Schultz, Victor Schultz, Margaret (George) Semann; and one great-grandchild, Hannah Semann, along with other relatives and friends.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 28, 2022 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, in Sparta with the Reverend Fr. Eric Berns officiating.
Visitation will start at 9:30 a.m. at the church until the time of the service. A luncheon will be in the church basement following the service. Burial will follow at St. John’s Catholic Church on Summit Ridge, Norwalk.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to SACS, P.O. Box 130, Sparta, WI 54656. Online condolences may be offered at www.schanhoferfh.com.
Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home and Cremation is assisting the family with arrangements.
Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home and Cremation
