Mary Ann Foschi

Funeral Mass for Mary Ann "Mitzi" Foschi, 90, of Virginia, will be 11am Monday, September 19, 2011 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Virginia with Fr. John O'Donnell as celebrant. Visitation will be one hour prior to the mass at church. Burial will be in the Calvary Cemetery in Virginia. Arrangements by Ziemer-Moeglein-Shatava Funeral Home in Gilbert. Mary Ann went peacefully into God's arms on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 at the Virginia Convalescent Care Center. She was born July 7, 1921 in the Village of Aurora, MN to Robert and Mary (Starkovich) Krulich. She was raised in Aurora's Meadow Location where she developed her love of the outdoors. As a member of the Aurora High School Swimming Team since 7th grade, she set many backstroke records. Nicknamed "Mitzi", she graduated from Aurora High School in 1939. Following her graduation, she enrolled at Cleveland College in Ohio. When WWII began, she left college to work at Leece Neville Defense Plant in Cleveland. She was a Supervisor Inspector on the assembly line for four years. Following the war, she returned to Minnesota and worked at the Lake Mine office in Biwabik. On May 4, 1946 she was united into marriage to James Foschi in Aurora. They made their home in Virginia where Mitzi was an Avon representative while raising three sons. After her sons were grown, she worked at Sears in downtown Virginia, managing the paint and housewares division for ten years. Mitz's greatest love was her family - husband, sons and grandchildren. They were the joy of her life and always came first. She was a great cook. Just how many of her children's friends enjoyed Mitz's rigatoni's is not known, but the number was surely high and they still talk about them today. She and husband, Jimmy were quite the couple on the dance floor too. Mitz enjoyed comraderie of so many friends throughout her life. She participated in league bowling, belonged to various card clubs, was an avid gardener and blueberry picker, and even took up the game of golf for a while. But her favorite pastime was fishing. Out on Lake Vermilion in her prized 14' Lund with its trusty 9.9 Johnson tiller outboard, Mitz always brought home some walleyes. In fact on more than one occasion, some of the fishermen were known to follow her to find the "good spots". Many times she and daughter-in-law, Sheila could be seen bouncing across whitecaps in Big Bay as they searched for the elusive walleye. All the while, Mitz turning into the waves, while Sheila (up front and scared as ever) never wavering as Mitz navigated rough waters. There were many special walleye fish fry's at the cabin (all neatly filleted by Mitz). Later in life she enjoyed mentoring granddaughter Jess at the library, playing scrabble, watching golf and her favorite team, the Twins. Mitz was a member of Holy Spirit Church, and active member of the National Catholic Society of Foresters since 1952 and a member of the Martha Mary Guild #4. Survivors include her sons, Dan (Sheila) Foschi of Aurora and Doug (Carol Flaim) Foschi of Virginia; daughter-in-law, Patricia Foschi of LaQuinta, CA; two sisters, Anne Korpela and Catherine Halberg both of Virginia; two sisters-in-law, Katherine Anderson and Louise Foschi both of Virginia; grandchildren, Danny Foschi Jr. and Lisa Foschi both of Phoenix, AZ, Michael Foschi of San Diego, CA, Tommy Foschi of Raleigh, NC, Ashley Foschi of LaQuinta, CA and Jessica Foschi of Virginia; numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents; husband, James; son, Patrick; brothers, John and Bobby Krulich.