Ann Marie Breidel

Ann Marie (La Marr) Breidel quietly passed away at Gundersen Health System La Crosse on November 28, 2016. Ann had been a resident at Bethany-St. Joseph Care Center for several years due to failing health.
Ann was born November 5, 1929 in La Crosse to Richard and Dorothy (Curtis) La Marr. Ann is predeceased by her husband Francis, her sister Alice Syzmanski and her brother Frederick Ulrich.
Ann lived in La Crosse her entire life. Before marriage she worked at Gateway Foods.
Ann and Frank married on August 26, 1950. She had 7 children and worked hard to care for her family. Our mother was a great cook and baker. She was well known for her chocolate chip cookies, which were made using the recipe on the bag, but they tasted better than any other. No one could copy the deliciousness. Her children often returned home from school to find all the kitchen counters covered with fresh made breads, rolls, coffee cakes and even homemade soup noodles. At Christmas time there was a bakery level array of different cookies. She provided her family with the most delicious meals, not an easy task with 7 hungry kids coming through the back door. She had a great sense of humor, which was needed with 7 kids and all their antics, like a son bringing home a lunch box filled with grasshoppers. She was a supportive, fun mother and grandmother. She did not forget to send her young grandchildren birthday and Christmas cards and gifts, which they always appreciated.
She and Frank frequently traveled to Las Vegas and Lake Tahoe. She also visited her daughters and their families in California, Arizona and New Hampshire. Their travels also included cruises to St. Thomas, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. They enjoyed car trips to Door County and Appleton.
In our mother’s spare time she enjoyed reading, she would often sit on the couch, near the front picture window, where she could read and watch as kids and neighbors came and went. She enjoyed making quilted decorative pillows for family members and listening to John Denver or Ferrante and Teicher. She loved her dogs: Heidi, Poochie, Molly 1 and Molly 2 and her birds Cisco and Teeco.
Ann is survived by her daughters Cathy (Doug) Johnson, Nancy (Charlie) Gregg, Sue (Harry) Garvin, Becky (Paul) Bjorndahl, Mari (Tom) Friemel; sons, John (Jodie) Breidel and Kevin (Heidi) Breidel; 11 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren; a sister-in-law, Barbara Ulrich and brother-in-law, Ed Syzmanski.
Visitation will be held at the Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services, 200 West Avenue South, La Crosse on Thursday, December 8th from 11:30 AM until 1:30 PM when a prayer service will be conducted with Msgr. Charles Stoetzel officiating. A private family entombment will follow in Mormon Coulee Memorial Park Cemetery.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to the staff on the 6th floor Medical Unit at Gundersen Health System La Crosse for providing comfort and care when she and her family needed it most. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the Coulee Region Humane Society, 911 Critter Court, Onalaska, WI 54650 or www.couleehumane.com.