Mary Mills

Price

On Friday, June 16, 2023, longtime Lake Mills resident Mary Mills Price passed away peacefully in the company of her family. She was born on May 16, 1929 to Marjorie Stetson Mills (Ferry) and Ashley Vail ("Sticky") Mills, joining sister Nancy and a tightly knit band of first cousins.

Mary met future husband Calvin Price in Chadbourne Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when he allegedly spilled soup on her during dinner. They married after she graduated in 1951, and she encouraged him as he began his teaching career in Green Bay at what is now the Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. They spent the "Lombardi Years" there, and filled summer months with family camping trips and visits home to Rock Lake.

After Cal's death in 1968, Mary moved her family to Madison and obtained her masters degree in special education. During her 17 years at Schenk Middle School (now Whitehorse) she was a fierce advocate for her students, and launched numerous lasting friendships with fellow staff. She retired to Lake Mills in 1989, and spent the past 30-plus years warmly welcoming family and friends to the lake, reading voraciously, opining on wide-ranging topics, and lamenting the demise of varsity baseball at UW-Madison.

Mary leaves a long legacy of love for her roots, and was a dedicated archivist who meticulously cataloged the branches of her family. She eagerly shared her passion for her hometown, offering rich historical anecdotes to any and all listeners. She especially loved driving about town with lifelong friend Barb Petruska as they recalled "wild" stories from their youth.

Fortunate to have a multitude of friendships that she actively nurtured over the years, Mary kept up connections with those from Green Bay days, Schenk Middle School, her Shorewood Hills neighborhood, the Congregational Church, and her very beloved Book Club. Her family is deeply grateful for all the camaraderie and lively discussions they've provided, as well as for the more recent support she received from Visiting Angels, Brook Gardens Place, and Rainbow Hospice.

Mary's family includes five children: Kathryn Price, Cynthia Price, Jeffrey Price, John (Karen) Price and Barbara (William) Tucker; nine grandchildren: Jordan Price (Kyle Gabler); Ryoji Murakami, Taizo Murakami and Kazu Murakami; Logan (Brianne) Price and Elliott (Morgan) Price, and Zachary (Brittney) Tucker, Erica (Matthew) Linge and Anna (Trent) Harem.  She delighted in her ten great-grandchildren: Toby Gabler; Brantley and Lily Price; Eilah and Easton Price; Calvin, Lainey and Bennett Tucker, and Graham and Kora Harem.

Mary was also a cherished aunt to Mary (Fred) Lind, Ellen Berg, Jim (Doris) Berg, Jane (Eric) Kato and Gillian Price Lechmaier and their families, and mentor and friend to Aldo Motta and family.

We know she actively held her husband Cal, parents, sister Nancy Mills Berg, nephew George Berg, and the Stetson / Crump / Smithback cousins in her memory.

It has been comforting for our family to know that Mom had often expressed her readiness to make this transition. Among the notes she left us for this moment was a 1894 quote from her great grandfather, Alsop Vail Mills:

"I'm inclined to think that someone who tries to be just, generous and true to others has nothing to fear when entering the Silence."

There will be an informal gathering for family and friends on July 8, 2023 at the Claussen Funeral Home, 416 West Lake Street, Lake Mills, Wisconsin. Please join us anytime between 1:00pm and 4:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, Mom would have appreciated a donation to any of these organizations: The L.D. Fargo Public Library, the Rotary Club of Lake Mills, the Lake Mills High School Band, or the American Civil Liberties Union.

www.claussenfuneralhome.com