Mary Hale

Mary K. Hale, 80, of La Crosse, passed away at her home on Monday, May 4, 2015.

Mary was born in La Crosse on September 19, 1934, to Joseph and Hazel (Evenson) Kratzer. She married Edward C. Hale on December 27, 1952, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in La Crosse.

Mary graduated from Aquinas High School in 1952. She worked for many years at the Batavian National Bank, which later became First Bank and then, U.S. Bank, and also First Federal Savings and Loan before retiring. In her free time, she loved to go camping with family and friends and also enjoyed line dancing.

Mary is survived by Ed, her loving husband of 62 years; her sister, Joann Pintz of La Crosse; her children, Jo Maedke and her husband, Paul, of Ephrata, Wash., Ruth Henry and her husband, David, of Ventura, Cal., Laurie (Hale-Erdmann) Haase and her husband, Steve, of Winona, Minn., Mary Arvan of Ephrata, Wash., and Eddie Hale and his wife, Nikole, of La Crosse, Wis.; grandchildren, Jacob Maedke and his wife, Karen, Erin (Maedke) Kramer and her husband, Kevin, Joshua Hale and his wife, Mackenzie, Autumn (Hale) Warden and her husband, Nathan, Edward Erdmann, Erik Erdmann, Erin Erdmann, Eli Arvan, Alex Arvan, Helen Hale, Claire Hale, Edward L. Hale, Ruth Hale, Bethany Hale, and Lydia Hale; and great grandchildren, Brooklynn, Madison, Kate and Easton Maedke, Winona, Jacob and Lincoln Warden, Owyn and Marshall Hale, Nate, Taylor, and Reagan Henry and several nieces and nephews. Mary was preceded in death by her father, Joseph Kratzer, who passed away before she was born; her mother, Hazel (Kratzer) Franzen; and her step-father, Herbert Franzen.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, May 12th, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 1333 So. 13th St., La Crosse. Rev. Rick Roberts will officiate. A reception will follow the mass in Leo Hall. Family and friends may call from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service on Tuesday at the church. Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services of La Crosse is assisting the family.