Mary Elizabeth Peschl

Janesville, WI - Mary Elizabeth Peschl, 79, of Janesville, broke free of her earthly shackles on 10/27/19 and being one of God’s children, soared to her eternal home in heaven to be with Him and her loved ones who had gone before paving the way. Mary was born in Monroe, WI on 03/11/1940 to two loving, cheese-making Switzers; Karl and Irene. With her sister, Theresa, in tow, she enjoyed going to the Eagles Club and Turner Hall (especially on Easter. Can we say 15 kiddie cocktails?!?) for bowling, drinks or dancing. Mary was the embodiment of a courageous, wild, free spirit- just on the edge of appearing a little crazy to those who didn’t know her. She was up for anything, including smuggling in her little Pomeranian into an Italian restaurant inside her huge oversized purse. (This was before “purse dogs” were even a thing! She did get busted by the way.) She loved riding her motorcycle on the country roads; in the early years, taking one of Theresa’s kids on the back, and later, with Bernie hanging on tight. She loved boating, fishing, and riding the bike trail from Brodhead to New Glarus (especially with all the delicious food either at the hotel or the Glarner Stube just waiting for her!) Besides loving the outdoors, Mary loved animals of all kinds: from cats and dogs to birds, raccoons, a groundhog, possum, and even millions of tad poles (much to her niece’s chagrin). Mary was a serious candidate for St. Francis’ job. Somehow, any animal, wild or domestic knew to come to her house for food and sanctuary. Living next to the woods by the bike trail, she was surrounded by wildlife, and sadly, many unwanted pets who were just dropped there. While she did take two dogs and a few cats that were dropped there to the Humane Society, she believed she had a kindred spirit with animals and felt it was her mission to care for them. She let the cats eat and sleep in her garage keeping the door ajar, so they could come and go as they pleased. At one time she had nine cats and one raccoon all eating from little individual bowls all at the same time. She did find homes for some of them when she could (nieces and nephews were her favorite targets.) She saved and fostered many kittens, bottle-feeding them until they were big enough to eat soft food and go to the Humane Society. One summer, a lost or abandoned cockatiel landed on her head while she was standing in her back yard. (Swear to God this is the truth!) She immediately adopted him, bought him a palace of a cage and taught him to talk. He is still living a very comfortable life and will be soon moving. (Once again, a niece to the rescue!) While she cared for animals outside her house, it was the animals in her house that stole her heart. Not having kids of her own, her dogs were her children and, she spoiled them horribly. Her life was devoted to her four-legged children. Besides sneaking them into restaurants, she loved to hand feed many of them, play games with them, ply them with snacks whenever they “asked” and snuggle with them at night. (Her pets had her trained very well.) Through God’s grace, she was reunited in heaven with her parents, her beloved sister, best friend, and partner in crime, Theresa (Look out! The Mueller sisters are together again. Praise God!), and her brother, Karl, whom she has missed dearly every day since his death. She will also be reunited with her two great loves Sam and Bernie who loved her heart and soul unconditionally, centered their lives around her, and treated her with the respect and devotion she so greatly deserved. Along with a multitude of other loved ones that preceded her (some two-legged, some four-legged. It seems like there are more up there now than are left down here), there will be an amazingly joyous family reunion, the likes of which those left here can not even imagine. The sorry souls left behind missing the party include: her brothers, Jake and Jim; sisters in law, Eileen and Donna; brother in law, Ronald; along with a slew of nieces and nephews and their families. For the last 17 years, Mary was a surrogate mother for her adult niece, Jennifer. Together, Mary, Bernie, their “son in law,” Curtis, and Jennifer created a close, tight-knit family that helped each other survive through deaths, illness, divorce, cancer, and a multitude of pet related joys and sorrows. In 2005, Mary and Bernie happily stepped in as grandparents for Jennifer & Curtis’ daughter, Lena. They loved this unexpected role and excelled at it with kindness and generosity. Lena’s funniest stories always start with: “One time when you were at work and Grandma was watching me...”(Thank you God for keeping them both safe! As mentioned earlier, Mary was always willing to try anything, especially if her precious Lena suggested it.) And while those of us left behind are excluded from the reunion celebration at this time, we know our times will come when we are placed on that special guest list; but until then we will hold close our treasured memories of those we’ve loved and miss every day. There will be a celebration of life filled with music, food & drink, and plenty of storytelling (we haven’t even mentioned the Yankee Candles yet!) on November 17th at the Milwaukee Grill Banquet room from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Feel free to stop by for a few moments or grab a drink and join the celebration of this amazing woman. In lieu of flowers, all donations will be given to the Humane Society of Rock County. All Faiths Funeral and Cremation Services of Janesville, Wisconsin is assisting the family. Online expressions of love and support may be made at: www.866allfaiths.com . All Faiths Funeral and Cremation Service Janesville, Wisconsin (608) 754-8700