Mary Lou Zuege (nee Wood), 79, passed away at her home in Trumbull, Connecticut with her children by her side on February 21st, 2023. She lived a life that encompassed an incredible breadth of experiences for which she was deeply grateful.

Born in Black River Falls, Wisconsin, Mary Lou lived a prototypical farm life, getting electricity at age 6 and hand pumping well water. Her mother rescued a baby racoon from the river on their property and “Growly” became their pet. She went to a one room schoolhouse warmed by a hand-fed wood boiler and many classes were tuned in via radio. She was the first in her family to attend college, a young woman admitted with no funding, only grit and determination. 

At UW-Oshkosh, she met the love of her life, Gordy. Both became teachers and moved to Milwaukee in 1966. They enjoyed attending plays, art exhibits, and double feature films, along with many boisterous teacher’s parties before beginning a family with their children, Gretchen and Aaron, who she called her two gems. 

The neighborhood on Newhall street in Whitefish Bay was a highlight of their life, with unforgettable block parties, parenting camaraderie, and a collective sense of love and care for each other. It was a rare time and place for which the family feels incredibly fortunate. 

Mary Lou taught in the Shorewood and Menomonee Falls school districts, later becoming the technology administrator for Menomonee Falls, where she introduced the first iteration of Apple computers, which took great resolve and foresight. She was a big picture thinker, aware of the culture at large, who looked to modernize and implement systems for the benefit of future generations. She always made space for kids whose learning style fell outside the system and found ways for them to engage and feel valuable.

A lifelong learner and leader, she once said, “I think I was president of every club at my school as a child.” This continued as a theme throughout her life as she was driven to be a steadfast advocate for those less fortunate. 

She lived out her Christian values, volunteering extensively, working as an advocate and mentor, and assisting many young women, in particular, with their careers. She chaired numerous boards and her volunteer work included the League of Women Voters, Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Association, Diaper Bank, Eastwood Condo Board and Bayshore Lutheran and Kingo Churches.

She put the greater good at the forefront of her life choices. One of her crowning achievements was working to pass marital property legislation. The endeavor took eight years and greatly benefited a wide cross-section of women who were financially vulnerable, from stay-at-home mothers to farming wives. To this day, Wisconsin is one of only a handful of states with these laws in place. 

After Gordy’s passing in 2002, Mary Lou soon retired. Living out their dream of travel together, she embarked on her own extensive stateside and worldwide voyages. She possessed a great love for the people of the world and was able to visit Namibia, Mt. Kilimanjaro, China, Israel, Jordan, Peru, and many other locations. Perhaps her favorite thing about these trips was enjoying them with her friends, an impressive collection of women and men of all ages who enriched her life until the very end. 

No obituary would be complete for Mary Lou without mentioning her love of books. A voracious reader, she was a member of 4-5 book clubs at a time, including one she was in for 45 years. This quenched her insatiable curiosity as a researcher and librarian. Her bookmark collection was staggering. 

She was a lifelong Wisconsin resident until October 2022 when she moved in with her son and his family in Connecticut, not far from her daughter’s home. This fortuitous timing allowed her to spend her final months surrounded by her children and grandchildren.

Mary Lou is survived by her children, Gretchen, Aaron, and Ricardo, the family’s Portuguese exchange student who became chosen family, her grandchildren Jack, Clara, Georgia and Henry, her son-in-law Mike Patterson and daughter-in-law Liz Zuege, her siblings, Judy, Vicki, Harvey, Jeff and Kathy and innumerable nieces, nephews and friends. 

A celebration of life will be held on June 17th at Kingo Lutheran Church in Shorewood at 1:30 pm. We look forward to seeing all of you!

In lieu of flowers, we invite you to honor her legacy by donating to “Kingo Cares Memorial”, the outreach and service ministry at Kingo Lutheran Church at 1225 E. Olive St., Shorewood, WI, or by smiling at a stranger and brightening someone’s day, as she endeavored to do herself.