Mary M Place

Mary Place, age 87, of Oshkosh broke the bonds of planet Earth on October 28 and was welcomed through the pearly gates into heaven. She is probably marching and playing her trumpet or cheerleading newcomers into the heavenly sports arena. She was born on May 18, 1935, the fourth of six children, to Andrew and Elsie Rudesill at Spring Valley, WI. She graduated as salutatorian from Spring Valley High School with the class of 1953. Mary was united in marriage to Leonard Place on September 2, 1955. The wonderful and exciting journey spanned 67 years. This union was blessed with two lovely daughters, Patti and Kristi. Her earthly journey was packed with love, adventure, sharing, and caring. She had been under the loving care of the staff at the Parkview Health Center since June of 2019. Loss of her eyesight (2021) and Alzheimer’s (6 years) overtook that precious life.

She graduated as a registered x-ray technician in 1955 from Fairview Hospital in Minneapolis. Her training was applied while working for doctors at Fairview Hospital Minneapolis, Grand Rapids, Minnesota, Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, and Oshkosh.

She was a cherished companion to her husband and a loving and caring person to her family, community, and her church. She guided a group of young girls as a Campfire leader. She took pride in being a substitute mother for two foreign exchange students (Venezuela and Australia) while they attended Oshkosh North High School. Bible studies and many volunteer activities at First English Lutheran strengthened her faith. She loved golf (hole in one), bowling, gliding across the floor in a good old-time dance, and traveling. Two journeys to experience beautiful Norway, while engaging in ancestry searches, were notables. A vacation in New Zealand with an extended stop in Australia to visit a former AFS student and her family were memorable. A vacation in Alaska with all its natural beauty was a favorite. Despite having lost her eyesight and memory her daily joy was listening to and singing along with hymns while at Parkview.

Her smile, interest and loving concern for others will be sadly missed by her immediate family, her Rudesill family, and many friends. Let the sadness quickly fade and be overtaken by the celebration of her life. She is survived by her husband Len, two daughters Patti Porto (Terry), and Kristi Clark (Eric). Grandsons include Adam and Josh (Paige) Porto, Andrew (Kerry) Clark, William and Evan Clark and great-granddaughters Hazel Mae and Ruby James.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Troy and Kenny, and three sisters (Lorraine Turner, Audrey Mentor and Judy Olson).

Special thanks and warm hugs to the dedicated staff at Parkview Health Center for all their TLC (tender loving care) during her stay. They were truly earth’s angels.

Cremation has taken place. Memorial services will be held at First English Lutheran Church (1013 Minnesota St) on Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 11:30AM. a visitation will be held from 10AM until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to Parkview Health Center, First English Lutheran Church Women’s Bible Study in Oshkosh or the Alzheimer’s Association (http://alz.org).