Mary I. Griswold

Mary I. Griswold, age 90, of Lancaster, died on Thursday, August 16, 2012, at the Lancaster Care Center, Lancaster. She was born on December 17, 1921, on her family farm in North Lancaster Township, the daughter of Ora and Cora (Croft) Govier. Mary attended Badger Country School and graduated from Lancaster High School in 1940. On January 27, 1945, Mary was united in marriage to Robert Griswold. After their marriage the couple farmed the Griswold family farm and has lived there for sixty-two years. Mary was the baker and cook at the Lancaster High School for ten years. She was a member of the Merry Mixers 4-H group and was a 4-H leader for sixteen years. She was also a member of the United Methodist Church and its church circle. Mary enjoyed cooking, baking, sewing, gardening, and traveling, but most of all, she loved her family. After retirement, she found time to quilt and discovered that she had a talent for painting pictures, something that surprised her and that she truly enjoyed.

Survivors include her loving husband of sixty-seven years, Robert of Lancaster; their children: Jerry (Jean) Griswold, Madison; Susan (John) Maresh, Oconomowoc; Cindy (Earl) Heimerdinger, Pearl City, IL; seven grandchildren; five great-grandchildren; sisters-in-law: Dorothy (Harold) Wetter; Patricia (Don) Hauth; Veda Govier, all of Lancaster; Evelyn Govier, Phoenix, AZ; brother-in-law, Robert Swenson, Fennimore; other relatives and many friends.

In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her siblings: Lyle, Lela, Donald, Charlie, Ivan, Edna, Dorothy and Glenn; and a sister-in-law, Ada (Maynard) Sanger.

Funeral services were held on Monday, August 20, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. at the Lancaster United Methodist Church with Reverend Barbara Cook officiating. Burial was in Hillside Cemetery, Lancaster. Family and friends called on Sunday, August 19, 2012, from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at Martin Funeral Home in Lancaster and on Monday from 10:00 a.m. until time of services at the church. In lieu of plants and flowers, a Mary I. Griswold Memorial Fund has been established.