Marie E. Vanden Brook

MADISON -- Services were held Saturday for Marie Elizabeth Vanden Brook who died on Tuesday, September 18th at Orchid Home in Verona. She was 90. A devoted wife, mother and consummate family woman, Marie loved nothing more than to have a houseful of her children, grandchildren and beloved husband Bill at the holidays or any day. Often, the Vanden Brook dinner table had one or two additional neighborhood kids that just happened to stop by. All were welcome and made to feel special. To all, she was known simply as “Mimi.” She was born in Mayville, Wisconsin on February 25, 1922 to Dr. Peter and Erna Johnson. She grew up in Sauk City with her brother Jim, sister Margaret, and beloved Boston Terrier, Popeye. They lived in a grand home perched above the Wisconsin River where she spent summers with her friends playing on its banks and at Devil’s Lake. She graduated from Mount Mary College in 1944 with a degree in social work. During the Second World War she worked at the Badger Army Ammunition plant and then transitioned to social work at the neighboring housing facility for the plant’s workers. She met Bill who left for the Pacific theater just after their marriage on March 22, 1945. Mimi raised seven children in Wisconsin Rapids, Appleton, and Madison. The six boys were a challenge to keep in line and more importantly fed. And what a marvelous cook she was. The most important events centered on the holidays with great gatherings of up to 30 or more, usually with her sister Meg’s family, the Bauers of Waukesha. She and Meg co-mothered a shared brood of 13 children. Mimi made childhood a dream for her kids. Her brother Jim and wife Myrna were also central characters, helping raise the kids. Once her children were in school, Mimi began her professional career as a social worker with Madison Opportunity Center, a sheltered workshop for adults with developmental disabilities. Together with Bill, they kept the large family together even when life threw its inevitable challenges their way. Even in retirement she served on the board of Women in Transition, a group home for women with mental illness. It was clear that Mimi and Bill reveled in the company of their children. The two remained devoted to one another until Bill’s passing on Memorial Day in 2010. She will be remembered for her strength and calm, her patience and love, and, above all, the warm smile she beamed to all lucky enough to know her. Survivors include her daughter Mary (Steve) of Summerland Key, Fla., and sons, Mike (Janet), Pete (Karen), Bill (Joni), and Jon (Diane) of Madison, Jim (Judy) of Mount Horeb, and Tom (Kathy) of Arlington, Va.; his grandchildren, Mike (Vicki), Meghan (Arthur), Jonathan, Sara (Travis), Erin, Nell, and Gino; and three great grandchildren, Kiki, Jaxon and Olivia. The family extends its profound gratitude to the staff at Orchid Home and all of those involved with Mimi’s care through Agrace Hospice Care Madison. Donations may be made to Agrace Hospice Care of Madison, 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, Wis., 53711 or Blessed Sacrament Parish, 2116 Hollister Ave., Madison, Wis., 53726.