Marsha A. Schuchart

Cats and dogs lost a good friend today.  Marsha Schuchart found homes for countless cats and dogs over the years.  On our first lunch date I had packed a brown bag lunch and we were parked in a parking lot by the lake in Madison.  We had started to eat when we heard whining and sharp little barks. Marsha got out of the car and walked over to a nearby trash barrel and reached in, pulled out a box, and brought it back to the car.  In that box someone put two tiny black lab puppies in a trash barrel, sitting in the hot summer sun.  Marsha said, “Well, we gotta find a home for these little guys.”  And she did.  Besides being beautiful, she had a heart and was kind.  We were married for fifty-three years and she never failed to surprise me with her physical strength, smarts, goodness, and just plain guts.  When she got scared, she attacked!  We had our fights like everyone else and we almost split up once, but we got back together.  Her strength…  Our son was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 3 or 4 years old.  Marsha was really good at taking care of him and the doctors were really impressed by her understanding of the disease.  Cory was a brittle diabetic. That meant he could to into shock easily.  Marsha was good at recognizing the signs that indicated he might be close to going into shock.  Marsha kept our son safe with her understanding of the disease.  The doctors asked Marsha if she would be willing to come to the hospital and help parents care for their newly diagnosed children.  Marsha agreed and was good at it.  One of the doctors was giving Marsha a “thank you” tour of the hospital when they got to the gym, where the hospital staff could work out.  There was a doctor doing some bench presses and Marsha made a comment saying she thought maybe she might be able to do that.  The doctor giving her the tour said, “Would you like to try?”  Marsha said, “Sure.”  So, the tour doctor said to the doctor working out, “How much you got on there Frank?” (not his real name) Frank said, “200 lbs.”  So, the tour doctor said, “Okay, Frank spot her.”  The tour doctor turned to Marsha and said, “Okay, give it a try.”  Marsha sat down on the bench and the tour doctor said, “Anytime you’re ready, Frank will be there to help you if you need him.”  Marsha surprised everyone in that weight room that day, including herself.  She bench-pressed 200 lbs., THREE TIMES, at a body weight of 98 lbs. WOW!  Anything physical, Marsha just refused to be beat.  Marsha was one tough cookie.  But she couldn’t beat dementia. 

A long time ago…Marsha’s proudest moment as a teacher came on a Sunday morning when we lived in Monona.  I was reading the Sunday paper in the living room when the doorbell rang.  I said, “I’ll get it.”  When I opened the door, there stood a tall good looking State Trooper.  He said, “Is Marsha Schuchart here?”  I said, “Yes, she is.”  I turned around and said loudly, “Marsha!”  Just then she came through the door with a dish towel in her hands.  She started to say, “Who is it?”  But when she saw the Trooper, she recognized who it was.  I said to Marsha, “What have you done?”  She said loudly, “Doug, this is the guy I told you about who wanted to be a State Trooper.”  She opened her arms wide to give him a big hug and yelled, “You made it!”  Marsha had helped him find material in the school library that would help him with taking the written test to become a State Trooper.  He wanted Marsha to be one of the first to see him in his uniform.  He really looked great!  That was Marsha’s proudest moment as a teacher.

Marsha’s goodness…Marsha had a friend who might not graduate from high school because she was potentially going to fail a class.  Marsha went into this teacher’s room at the end of the day and convinced the teacher not to fail her friend.  As Marsha was leaving his room, he said, “Marsha, I hope your friend knows how good a friend she has in you.”  I wonder if her friend ever knew what Marsha did for her?

Another proud moment was when Marsha was helping our daughter, Holly, do her homework one night.  Holly was having trouble with a math problem.  Finally, Marsha said, “Holly, TAKE DOWN THE WALL!”  She repeated his several times.  Finally, Holly looked around and said to her mother, “Mom!  Where’s the wall?”  Marsha stepped back and paused, then stepped forward and tapped Holly lightly on her head and said, “The wall is in your head Holly.”  She whispered, “It’s in your head, it’s fake, get rid of it.  It’s keeping you from learning.  Get rid of it.  Take down the wall.”  It really helped.  From then on, when Holly was having trouble with her homework, she could be heard saying to herself, “Take down the wall.”  At the time Marsha didn’t think it was anything great, but it was really something to be proud of!  Holly is now a teacher and she finds herself using that phrase often.  It really was a moment to be proud of. Marsha can be proud of both our kids.  They have grown up to be good and responsible adults.

Marsha said to me about a week before she died, “Come here, close.”  So, I put my ear close to her mouth and she said, “I love you" and she said it again, "I love you.”  I told her I loved her more than she’d ever know.  She’s free now. 

Doodles,

Doug Schuchart- Marsha’s husband   

Marsha is survived by her husband, Doug; children, Holly (Scott) Linn and Cory (Jen) Schuchart; grandchildren: Devin and Ireland Schuchart and Doug and Dillion Linn.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Delbert and Iola (Wyman) Whiteis.

Roth Family Cremation Center and Funeral Services is assisting the family.