Mary Higley Seefelt

Mary Higley Seefelt, age 101, died at her home on June 1, 2021, surrounded by her immediate family and her wonderful caregivers. She was born on February 15, 1920, in Frankfort, Michigan, to Enos James and Susan Jane Higley (neé Smith). She was the youngest of four children. Mary was preceded in death by her husband Edward Robert Seefelt.

Mary’s was a remarkable life, spanning the Great Depression to the present day. Mary grew up in Michigan and Wisconsin, graduating from high school in Menominee, WI, in 1936. That same year she moved to Madison, WI, and spent the next 19 years there. She worked for many years in the capitol building for the state printing board, and she had a close group of friends, many of whom she stayed in touch with for years afterward.

She married Edward in Madison on August 13, 1955, and the couple moved to Marshfield where Ed opened an optometry clinic. Their daughter Ellen was born there in 1956. Soon after, Ed re-enlisted in the Air Force, and the family moved to Albuquerque, NM. Their second daughter, Susie, was born there in 1959. Ed’s military career took them to bases in France and Germany, as well as bases in Texas, Ohio, and Florida. The family traveled extensively throughout the United States and Europe.

When Mary and Ed retired, they settled on an old farmstead in central Wisconsin. They renovated an old granary on 40 acres that would soon serve as a gathering place for relatives and their many friends. The Seefelts were active members of the community, dedicated to the protection of the environment and a way of life.

Mary was a gifted gardener, a voracious reader, and an inveterate writer. She wrote prose, poetry, and she kept a diary for many years, chronicling all of the family’s moves and their adventures on the old farm.

With a quiet, unassuming manner, Mary touched many lives with her loving, steadfast presence.

Mary is survived by her beloved family: daughter Ellen Seefelt and husband George Leopold of Reston, VA; daughter Susie Seefelt Lesieutre and husband Bernie Lesieutre of Madison, WI; and grandchildren Ben Leopold and Noemy Lesieutre.

The family wishes to thank Robin C., Cindy A., Cindy H., Chris H., Ashley K., Nikki O., and a number of previous caregivers, for their loving care of Mary these last years. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Lettie W. Jensen Library in Amherst, WI. https://www.lwjlibrary.info/