Obit: Friedman, Mary Anne #2 (1945 – 2015)

Contact: stan@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Friedman, Staut, Volovsek, Murphy, Spagna

----Source: Tribune/Record/Gleaner (Abbotsford, Wis.) 04 Mar 2015

Friedman, Mary Anne (11 JUL 1945 – 22 FEB 2015)

Mary Anne Friedman, 69, Denver, Colo., formerly of Willard, passed from this world on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015, after a 7-month battle with cancer. Funeral services were held at 2 p.m., on Friday, Feb. 27, at her home parish, Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Lakewood, Colo., with a reception immediately following. Her final resting place will be among the majestic pines and strong oak trees in Pequot Lakes, Minn. The burial will take place in the spring.

Mary Anne Staut was born on July 11, 1945, in Milwaukee, of first generation Slovenian immigrants, Janvid J. and Mary F. (nee Volovsek) Staut. She and her two older brothers grew up in Greenwood, where she was a gifted academic, musician, and singer. As the valedictorian, marching band director and cheerleader, she quickly caught the eye of the new head coach, Michael Friedman. He wasted no time marrying this young beauty in her hometown of Willard on June 13, 1964, after she attended one year of college. Her love of life and service immediately began as she was blessed with mothering four children while faithfully supporting her husband’s career. As his coaching career progressed, the family moved throughout the state of Wisconsin and then to Pueblo, Colo., in 1974. Once the children were all established in school, Mary Anne started a part-time career in real estate. She was a devoted mother who drove two of her daughters to ice skating before dawn each morning, another daughter to swimming, and her son to countless sports. Mary Anne took every opportunity to cook her family amazing meals, all the while being the most supportive coach’s wife in the history of competitive sports. Despite having little personal time, she remained active in her church parish as a Eucharistic minister and lector, and continued to play the piano. As a seeker of inherent truth, beauty, and goodness, Mary Anne loved supporting women’s charities but was most passionate about Unbound, an incredible organization that supports underprivileged children in third world countries. If you would like to make a donation in her name, please contact Unbound, www.Unbound.org,   Grace House of Pequot Lakes, Minn., or the American Cancer Society.

Mary Anne is survived by her husband, Michael Albert Friedman; her daughter, Janette Marie Friedman; her son, Steven Michael Friedman and wife Michelle; her daughters, Juliet Anne Murphy and Jodi Elizabeth Spagna; her grandchildren, Courtney Grace Spagna, Angela Marie Friedman, Michael Steven Friedman, Monica Lee Friedman, Joseph Albert Friedman, and Mary Margaret Friedman; her eldest brother, John Staut and wife Sophia; and brother Victor Staut and wife Mira.

She was predeceased by her son-in-law, Michael Paul Murphy, in 2006.