CROSS PLAINS-Marie Mae Esser, age 90, passed away after a long and courageous struggle with a variety of maladies on Friday, April 27, 2012 at Heartland Country Village, Black Earth. She was born in the Town of Mazomanie on March 2, 1922, to Grover and Clara (Utpatel) Flamme and was a graduate of Mazomanie High School. Marie and Andrew Esser married on October 5, 1939, and celebrated 67 years of marriage before Andrew passed away in 2007. After their marriage, Marie and Andrew farmed for a short time near Black Earth on the farm where Marie was born before they moved to Cross Plains. For most of her life, Marie was kept busy taking care of her husband, her seven children and her mother, who lived with them for many years. She was constantly baking, cooking, canning, sewing and doing whatever else was necessary to nurture her family. When her children were grown, Marie had more time to become involved in activities such as RSVP, the preservation of Old Halfway Prairie School (the one-room school she had attended as a child) and the Cross Plains-Berry Historical Society. In her later years, a perfect day consisted of doing crosswords or word searches while watching some game shows in the morning, watching the Brewers win a game in the afternoon and then playing cards in the evening with family or friends. She always enjoyed having a houseful of family for holiday celebrations. Marie was a longtime resident of Cross Plains and a member of St. Francis Xavier Church.
Marie is survived by her children, Jim and Darlene Esser of Cross Plains and their children, Jim (Tiffany), Jacki (Nick) Piper, Judi (David) Kohl, Jay (Judy Ballweg), Janese Williams, and Jared (Lynn), Don and Sharon of Cross Plains and their children, Renee (Glenn) Starks, Shawn (Charlet Nicks), and Brett (Jenny), Ruth Severson of Belleville and her children, Boyd (Amy) and Heather Severson, Bob of Madison and his children, Matthew and Ariel, Frances Denner of Milton and her children, Jennifer (Michael) Casper, John (Jenny Blair) and Paul Aaron (Cody Pearce) Denner, Mark Esser of Cross Plains, and Lisa and Mike Blum of Belleville and their children, A.J. and Carley. Marie is also survived by brothers-in-law, Norbert (Erna) Esser and George (Barbara) Esser; and sisters-in-law, Theresa Treinen, Catherine Outhouse, Betty Voss, Mary Jane Esser and Aija Esser. She is further survived by many great -grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, other relatives and many friends. Marie was preceded in death by her brothers, Harold and Karl; sons-in-law, Ron Severson and Gary Denner; sisters-in-law, Mary Flamme, Adeline Flamme and Margaret Maier; brothers-in-law, Eugene Esser, Lawrence Esser, Donald Voss, Russell Outhouse and Leo Treinen. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2947 Thinnes Street, Cross Plains at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, May 1, 2012, with Father Thomas Kelley presiding. Burial will be in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery. Visitation will be held at the church from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on Monday, April 30, 2012 and also on Tuesday from 10:00 AM until the time of the service at the church. The family wishes to thank the staff of Heartland Country Village for the many years of loving care and also the staff of Agrace HospiceCare for their assistance in Marie’s final months. In addition, we especially want to thank Sister John Rose for her wonderful visits with Marie. Marie loved her family deeply and welcomed their visits, though she sometimes chastised them for not coming to visit more often. She wasn’t shy about expressing her opinions and had a sharp wit and a memorable smile. A memorial will be made in Marie’s name at a later date.