Mary E. Rickert

Mary Rickert, 74, of Freedom, Wisconsin, passed away on January 11, 2022, surrounded by her loving family.  She was born in Green Bay on May 3, 1947 to the late Alfred and Alberta Keyser.  Graduating from West De Pere in 1966, Mom met our Dad shortly thereafter, and they were married at Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay on October 5, 1968. 

Mary battled four different bouts of cancer over the last several years.  She looked at these as obstacles to overcome and faced each one with courage and positivity.  Her love for her family and grandchildren kept her spirits and sense of humor high during those tough times.

Mary was an amazing cook, making amazing meals for her family all the time.  Everyone always looked forward to a “Grandma Breakfast” or any other delicious meal she made.  She loved reading a good book with a cup of coffee in the morning, watching the birds on the feeder as she sipped.  She loved travelling with her husband Pat and took many memorable trips; several trips to Branson MO to see good country music, Niagara Falls, driving HWY 1 from Seattle to San Francisco, and an Alaskan cruise being favorites.  Mary worked for VanDynHoven Studios in Freedom for 15 years, her nephew Dennis’ DJ Video store for 15 years, as well as a school aid at St. Nicholas and Freedom Elementary Schools for several years. 

Mary’s main passion in life was family.  Being her husband Pat’s rock, staying home for years to raise her boys, then having a huge role in the lives of her four Grandchildren.  Everything else came second to that. 

Mary is survived by her husband of 53 years, Pat; her sons Jeff (Kelly) Rickert and Jesse (Lauri) Rickert.  She is further survived by the four Grandchildren she adored so much: Kaitlyn, Joey, Sienna and Jakob, who all adored her right back.  She is also survived by two brothers: Tom (Mary) and Don (MaryLou); in-laws: Ron Springstroh, Joan (Ron) Semrow, Judy Rickert, Bill (Katie) Rickert, Dan (Joy) Rickert, Kathy (Marvin) Schiedermayer, Mike (Jill) Rickert and Cindy (Mike) Ballweg.

Mary is now at peace and with those who preceded her in death:  Parents Alfred and Alberta; siblings James, Joey, Kitty, Shirley, John, William, Harvey, Richard, Helen, Fritz, Margie; father and mother-in-law, Joseph and Edna; in-laws: Marge, Dave and Gary.

Funeral services will be held at 12:00 noon on Monday, January 17, 2022, at the Verkuilen-Van Deurzen Family Funeral Home FREEDOM LOCATION, N3972 Columbia Ave. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Interment will be in St. Nicholas Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society would be appreciated. For online condolences, please visit www.verkuilenfh.com.

Mary’s family would like to thank the compassionate people who helped her so much including Lynn Dahlke at Ascension; Nakita, Tyler and all the staff at Moments Hospice, Erica and the rest of the Nursing staff at Ascension Cancer Center, Chaplain Judy, Father Stumpf, as well as Derek from Midwest Medical.

For Now:

For now, the pain seems far too great for me to bear alone

For now, there’s no way to replace the love that you have shown

For now, I’ll have to do without your wisdom and advice

For now, the memories of our time together must suffice

For now, I’ll try to live my life through lessons you have taught

For now, I’ll have to hold onto this solitary thought

We will be together someday, and though I don’t know how,

I know it’s not goodbye for good.  It’s just goodbye…for now.

…we love you Mom.

To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.