Mary E. Burch, Hustisford, age 71, died unexpectedly on Friday, July 17, 2020, with her daughter and granddaughter at her side, at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah.  She was born in Sparta, WI, on April 21, 1949, to the late Francis Gerald and Bernice (Hitpas) Muenzer.  She graduated from New Lisbon High School in 1967 before moving to Milwaukee.  Mary graduated from the nursing program at Milwaukee Area Technical College in 1968.  While she started her career working in oncology at St. Mary's Hospital (Milwaukee), she found her true calling in geriatrics and spent most of her career at the Milwaukee Protestant Home where her patients became family.

She married her true love and best friend, Richard Burch, on October 31, 1970.  He preceded her in death on January 22, 2020.  They raised their family in Bay View on the south side of Milwaukee before realizing their dream of living the lake life, moving to Lake Sinissippi in Hustisford in 2002. They loved to travel, whether it was a week in Rhinelander or a road trip out of state.  They also enjoyed numerous cruises and bus trips.  The destination wasn't usually that important, they just loved to go….  After Richard died, she moved to Appleton for a few short months, to be close to Jenny and her family.

Mary adored her role as Grammy – the sun rose and set on her grandkids!  She was lucky to have made close friends in her life in both Milwaukee and Hustisford.  Mary treasured those friendships.

She was an amazing cook and was known for her chicken noodle soup, pecan balls, and apple and pecan pies.  Her recipes will be hard to duplicate – she ALWAYS used a recipe, but never wrote down her changes.  A batch of her Bolts and Nuts were a treat to behold!

Mary is survived by her daughters:  Jenny (Tim) O'Connell of Kaukauna, and Brittany Burch of Watertown; daughters-in-law:  Stephanie Burch and Rita Buttner; grandchildren:  Olivia and Quinn O'Connell; Julia, Caleb and Joel Burch; Levi, Seth, and Cole LaRue; Pierce and Paisley Burch; siblings:  Judy Shelton, Noreen (Harvey) Heath, and Gerry (Doris) Muenzer; God daughter, Lisa Lawrence; and brothers and sisters-in-law:  Patsy (LaRamie) Dank, Judy (Bruce) Stedman, and Bruce (Janet) Burch.  She is further survived by her dear friend, Gale Gramoll and her family; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

In death, Mary was joyously reunited with the two she missed the most: her husband Richard and her son Nathan.  She was also preceded in death by her parents, Gerry and Bernice; step father, Jim Kranz; father and mother-in-law, Walter and Cleota Burch; and brother-in-law, Bill Shelton.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 23, 2020, at O'CONNELL FUNERAL HOME (1776 E. Main Street, Little Chute) from 12:00 Noon until the time of funeral at 3:30 p.m.  Deacon Vincent De Groot will officiate. Committal Holy Cross Cemetery, Kaukauna, WI.

Mary's family would like to thank the ER staff at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Appleton and the ICU staff at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center in Neenah where she received exceptional care.