Mary Barbara Kuhl

Mary Barbara (Wolf) Kuhl loved nothing better than a good laugh, especially one that made her cry with joy. In her final days, surrounded by the people she loved best in the world, she did just that.

She went to be with our father Fred on Sunday, May 17. Her journey ended as she lived, with faith and joy and love for her family.

Alice and Stanley Wolf welcomed Mary on April 23, 1937 in Helenville, Wis. She was the last of four children. She grew up on a farm on Paradise Lane, and in 1957 she met Fred Kuhl, who lived not too far away on Hope Lake Road in Lake Mills. In a way they created their own paradise filled with hope for their three children and the thousands of school kids their lives influenced during their years as public school educators. Mom was a proud graduate of what is now the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (flunker’s paradise, according to Fred who graduated from UW-Madison!) She taught special education at Wisconsin Dells High School and created an employment program for the students she served. Some of those students finished their careers in the jobs she helped to place them. She loved teaching third grade, and while teaching in Rhinelander a wise principal saw that she’d be great with first graders. She ended her career helping build confidence in those little first grade kids who brought her so much joy and just maybe a bit of frustration.

Our home welcomed everyone because that’s the environment Mom created. Each Tuesday night during the football season, the living room was overtaken by the team to watch films from the previous week’s game and to scout the upcoming team. She celebrated their victories with treats she lovingly prepared. Our friends were always encouraged to sit at the kitchen table and talk and laugh. Our home was a safe place for people to land, and they did. Many people who needed a place to stay found it in our home on Capital Street. We knew how deeply our parents loved each other and us. Mom was not perfect, yet she was the best mom, grandmother and great grandmother she could be, and for that we are forever grateful.

Faith was at the center of our parents’ marriage and lives. They belonged to churches in every community where they lived. Mom was a part of the choirs, women’s groups, Bible studies and after retirement, served at countless funeral luncheons. In recent years, she joined services online including those from one of dad’s former football players, Jeff Nelson, who leads a United Methodist church in Michigan.

In the early 2000s, Mom and Dad moved from Rhinelander and built a home in Baraboo. They loved being closer to family and old friends. After Dad died in 2016, Mom stayed in that home for two years before moving to Oak Park Place Baraboo. For nearly eight years she lived in an apartment that looked out over the Baraboo Bluffs, a view she cherished. She was able to forge deep friendships with the other residents, many who loved her sense of humor.

Mom said one of the best compliments she ever received was from a friend who told her she was the most genuine person he’d ever met. Her love for family and friends as well as her ability to find joy in life were the foundation of who she was.

Her health took a turn in late summer 2025. She continued to live in her apartment and received care from BrightStar staff while still maintaining her independence.

She moved to assisted living at Oak Park Place Nakoma in Madison in February to be closer to family. Laura lovingly cared for her during those months and was with her nearly every day, often multiple visits per day. In her final days, the entire family rallied around her including her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She lit up when the grands arrived, and she was so happy that her granddaughter/nurse Ellie helped cared for her so beautifully in her last days.

Mary Kuhl’s life changed the world in her own beautiful way. She was a treasured teacher to many of her students, a valued colleague and friend. Most of all, she was a dedicated wife and mom. She is survived by Dan and his wife Margaret, Sara and her husband Earle Young, and Laura, grandchildren Ellie (Jason Petrella), Patrick (Lauren) and Eileen Young (Tristan Tinder), great grandchildren Evvie and Luca Petrella and William Kuhl. Her brother Jack Wolf survives as well as many nieces and nephews. Bill Hartman and his wife Paula will always be a part of the Kuhl family.

A celebration of life will take place at Emanuel United Methodist Church in Baraboo on Monday, June 1. A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. Service will be at 11 and a luncheon will follow. A private family interment service will take place at Walnut Hill Cemetery.

We’d like to thank the staff and residents at Oak Park Place Baraboo for their service and friendship to our Mom for all those years, along with those caretakers from BrightStar. The staff at Oak Park Place Nakoma did a wonderful job helping Mom in those final months, and we are grateful for the beautiful assistance of Agrace in her final days. As Dan said just after her passing that “every step of this journey has been a blessing. Everyone has just been wonderful. We are truly blessed.”

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Emanuel United Methodist Church https://emanuelchurch.net/ or Royal Oak First United Methodist Church https://www.rofum.org/ or the charity of your choosing.