"I have had the honor of being Mary?s massage therapist and I loved starting my Wednesday mornings out with not only a wonderful patient but an amazing friend, mentor and sister in Christ. Mary has taught me so much about Faith, Grace and Hope. There is always a reason to Hope and there?s always opportunities for us to show Grace through our actions towards others, to Speak with Grace, to listen with Grace and to be willing to keep growing in our Faithful walk with Jesus. Mary is missed deeply and has left an impact on so many lives. She mentioned a week ago that her prayer is that she?ll see all of us again someday and we can see Jesus together. She wants her family and every one of her friends to know that she loves you all so much. She encourages us to keep trusting in Him and to minister to others with Grace and Compassion. She has left a beautiful legacy and has been a huge inspiration to many as she has walked through this journey. To the family, many hugs to all of you. I pray for peace and comfort for you all. I hope Numbers 6:24-25 brings you all some comfort. See you soon Mary ??"
In loving memory of
Mary C. Meier
May 3, 1963 - August 31, 2020
Mary Carol (Rodwell) Meier, age 57, passed away peacefully at her home in Rochester, Minnesota, on Monday, August 31, 2020, from complications of a rare abdominal cancer, pseudomyxoma peritonei. During the twelve and a half years of her cancer journey, she persevered through several major surgeries and other difficulties, always striving to live a life full of faith in her Lord, of grace toward others and of hope (her favorite word) for here and for eternity. She will be sorely missed here but is now free from her earthly pain and sharing eternity with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Mary was born with her twin brother, Mark, on May 3, 1963, in Watertown, Wisconsin, to Daniel and Roseann (Reinertson) Rodwell. She spent most of her childhood in East Troy, Wisconsin, and graduated from East Troy High School, class of 1981.
Mary graduated from The University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh with her degree in Communicative Disorders in 1985. She earned her Masters Degree in Audiology from the University of Tennessee - Knoxville in 1987. She completed her Clinical Fellowship Year in Audiology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, in 1989. Mary then started work at Olmsted Medical Group, later known as Olmsted Medical Center (OMC), creating the Department of Audiology and serving as the department supervisor for 19 years. Mary started the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program at OMC Hospital in 1997, the second such program in Minnesota. She earned her Doctor of Audiology degree from Central Michigan University in 2003 with research in evidence-based protocols for medical evaluations of hearing loss in infants. She retired from OMC in October 2019 because of her health. During her 30 years there, Mary was honored to serve many hearing impaired patients and their families. She was very active in the audiology community, serving on state committees and volunteering to help those in need through the local Hearing Aid Bank. Mary received the Sertoma "Service to Mankind" Award (local and district) for her volunteerism in 1994 and the OMC "Above and Beyond the Call of Duty" award in 2002. She was honored with the "Outstanding Achievement Award in Audiology" from the Minnesota Academy of Audiology in 2017. Mary had a passion for audiology, especially pediatric audiology, and was always eager to learn more about hearing and to help her patients and others she met to care for their own hearing.
In 1988, with help from a match-making friend, she met the love of her life, Curtis Paul Meier. They married on May 5, 1990, at Grace Lutheran Church in Rochester where they remained members. In 2004, they began their parenting journey with their beautiful daughters, Brittany and Megan, through the gift of adoption. Mary was a loving wife and mother. She cherished making memories with her family, especially their special vacations.
Mary was very active in her Christian faith. She served in various local and district positions with the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML). As an LWML Young Woman Representative for the Minnesota South District in 1994, she spoke to women's groups about the "Power of a Penny" as a means of helping the poor. In her own congregation, Mary loved singing praises to her Lord as both a soloist and a 30 year member of the choir. She enjoyed teaching 7th and 8th grade Sunday School for many years. She actively participated in many local women's fellowship opportunities and Bible study groups. Her favorite Bible verses were Philippians 4:13 ("I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength."), Colossians 3:23 ("Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as working for the Lord and not for man.") and Matthew 11:15 ("He who has ears to hear, let him hear."). She continually used her CaringBridge entries to share her faith, grace and hope, often with the reminder "God is good all the time; all the time God is good."
Mary greatly enjoyed many other activities including flower gardening, sewing, painting, scrapbooking, home improvement projects, sharing coffee with her friends and being in the sunshine, especially with our dog Sammy.
Mary is survived by her husband, Curtis; her daughters Brittany and Megan; her parents Daniel and Roseann (Reinertson) Rodwell of Reedsburg, Wisconsin; her mother-in-law Virginia (Jacobs) Meier of Jefferson City, Missouri; her sister, Donna (Dave) Van Grinsven of Appleton, Wisconsin; her brother James (Jenny) Rodwell of Lake Delton, Wisconsin; her twin brother Mark (Beth) Rodwell of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin; her brother Joseph (Lorrie) Rodwell of Troy Center, Wisconsin; her aunt Carolyn Reinertson of Ft. Myers, Florida; her aunt Sarah (Patrick) Gavinski of Columbus, Ohio; her uncle Thomas (Linda) Rodwell of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; her aunt Connie (Rodwell) Webster of Pardeeville, Wisconsin; five nieces: Rose Van Grinsven (Juan) Parra, Joan (Rob) Doss, Mary Rodwell, Danielle (Jesse) Kangas, and Rebecca Rodwell; one nephew: John Rodwell; five godchildren: Nicole (Andy) Forss, Sander (Ashley) Anderson, Mary Rodwell, Sarah Arndt and Payton Richard; and countless close friends. Mary loved her large family and her many, many friends.
She was preceded in death by her father-in-law, Paul Meier; her grandparents Lawrence and Ann (Lavenz) Reinertson and Mordecai and Estella (Thies) Rodwell and stepgrandmother Frances (Klapper) Rodwell; and her college friend Jinny Sokolowski.
Mary desired to be an organ donor but knew her cancer limited the possibilities. We are thankful her corneas were able to be donated to the Lions Gift of Sight eye bank.
Mary's family wishes to thank all those near and far who have richly blessed us over the years, especially with your gifts of prayer, encouragement and friendship. We also thank the numerous Mayo Clinic staff who cared for Mary during her cancer journey, including those in the Oncology, Surgery and Emergency departments, the two Rochester Mayo hospitals and the Intestinal Failure, Palliative Care and Hospice teams. We give special thanks to Mindy Hartgers (Oncology) who was with Mary since the start of her cancer journey and Dr. Cari Low (Palliative Care) and Maureen Bigelow (Hospice) who helped us navigate the final months of her journey. May God bless you all as He has so richly blessed us through you.
A Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2020 at Grace Lutheran Church in Rochester. Visitation will be held from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Friday, September 11, 2020 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes and one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. Burial will take place at Oakwood East Cemetery.
The family suggests memorial gifts to the OMC Regional Foundation Mary Meier Memorial Pediatric Amplification Patient Care Fund (https://www.omcregionalfoundation.org) or The Grace Foundation, supporting Christian education at Rochester Central Lutheran School (https://www.grace-foundation.org/).
Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes is honored to be serving the Meier family. To leave a special memory or condolence please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com
Tributes
"?? to all in the Rodwell family, and Mary's many loved ones and friends. Mary's tremendous life achievements come as no surprise to me, and what I remember is Mary's keen intellect and our shared interest in music. Her strong bonding with friends was evident even in elementary school, and their clever mantra "I would rather be a hammer than a nail," is one I have never forgotten. RIP to a clearly wonderful person."
"So glad that Mary lived a full life of joy! We will miss her contributions to others in so many ways. I have so many high school memories and was glad to have her as a friend and colleague working to help screen and treat newborns and children with hearing loss. We never worked side by side in pediatrics but I was proud of all she was doing for families in MN, WI and those who likely traveled to Mayo. Love to her family!"
"Mary was so thoughtful and understanding working with my mother. Mom had a hard time understanding her severe hearing problems. Mary was always so patient with her. She was great. Thank God for her."
"Mary was a special friend to me and encouraged me in my Christian faith so much with prayers, bible studies, and witnessing. Mary has been a vessel for Christ and i can see her rejoicing in heaven. "
"Mary was a special light. I was so proud to work with her and know her sweet personality. She cared so deeply for her patients, her friends, co-workers and family. Someone to be admired! I have no doubt that she has heavenly wings and will watch over all of us. RIP Mary. We love you. Shirley Claffy. "
"My favorite memory of Mary was when she taught the painting class I have that picture on my desk. Thank you Mary "