Mary "Peggy" M. (Schield) Hintze

Mary “Peggy” Hintze (nee Schield) age 76, died very unexpectedly at her home on Monday September 24, 2018.  She was deeply loved by many and will be greatly missed.

Peggy was born November 9, 1941, the youngest child of Dolores and Walter (whom she referred to as Daddy for her entire life) Schield in Schofield, WI.  She attended Schofield School and Saint James School and graduated from Newman High School in 1959, all in the Wausau area.  She attended St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Rochester, MN, with her lifelong friend, Ann Roth and obtained her nursing degree in 1962.  Wanting to do more than bedside nursing, she went on to become a nurse anesthetist, training under Dr. Locker, and training many students herself.  The majority of her career was spent at Good Samaritan Hospital (formerly Holy Cross Hospital) in Merrill, where she retired as head of the anesthesia department.  Not satisfied with retirement, she returned to working part-time until retiring for a second time to care for her husband.

Peggy was married for 53 years to Richard “Dick” Hintze. He asked her to marry him on their first date and every date after until she said yes; she was the love of his life.  They had five children: Rich (Beth Johnson) Hintze, Brooklyn, NY, Meg Hintze, Schofield, Rebecca (Douglas) Konkol, Poynette, WI, Jennifer (Andreas) Salzman, Creswell, OR, Nicky (Curt) Wolfgram, Schofield.  She is also survived by her twelve grandchildren: Claire Johnson, Jack Hintze, Ben Konkol, Madalen (Ken) Schillo, Madeline Salzman (Ross McIntire), Olivia (Joshua) Coon, Amelia Salzman, Noah (Kelsee Balk-Yaatenen), Isaac, Patrick, Rose and Samuel Wolfgram, as well as two great-granddaughters, Kolette and Liberty Schillo. She is further survived by her sisters, Dora Schield, Cincinnati, OH and Kathy Gess, Baton Rouge, LA and brothers-in-law David (Ed Engebretson) Hintze, Plover and Tim (Linda) Hintze, Schofield, as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews. Lastly, she is survived by her close friend of more than 50 years, Linda Lockhart.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Dick, in 2017, parents, in-laws Roy and Ruth Hintze, granddaughter Grace Wolfgram, brothers Paul and Klein Schield, sisters-in-law Vicki Hintze and Ruth Schield, brothers-in-law Al Fistler and Tom Gess, niece Mary Feldhausen and nephew Mark Fistler-Gess. 

Peggy loved family and spent most of her life caring for those she loved including her grandmothers, parents, in-laws, nieces, nephews and later helping with her grandchildren.  She was quiet and was often underestimated, but was not afraid to stand her ground and tell you what she thought, even if it wasn’t easy.  She was always there to listen, with a smile, a hug, a laugh and a helping hand. 

She was a great cook and often entertained both family and friends. A fond memory is of her saying “take off your hat or I’ll take off your head” when sitting down for a meal.  She was known for her chicken dumpling soup and for her orange duck sauce.  Favorites of her grandchildren included her BBQ on Halloween, Swiss steak for Valentine’s Day, spaghetti, ribbon jello and cowboy cake.  Christmas and Thanksgiving were not complete without her orange sherbet salad and stuffing.  Not a favorite of the grandchildren was the pickled herring she had without fail every New Year’s Eve for good luck.  When she hosted holidays and family gatherings she always used her special table cloths and china because you were special to her. She had a wonderful sense of humor, often laughing until she cried.  She loved to play practical jokes and give a good scare. 

She loved traveling, and during a recent trip to Branson she went zip lining for the first time and had so much fun.  She loved to go to shows at the Grand Theatre and on gardening tours with her friend Linda.  She had a lifelong passion for reading which she passed on to her children by reading out loud to them every night when they were younger and later to her grandchildren.  There was always a book nearby.  She was a fan of movies and loved watching Disney, musicals and old movies with her grandkids.  Peggy was also a closet Hallmark Holiday movie junkie with her granddaughter Rose.  When her kids and grandkids were younger she frequently did art projects and puzzles with them.  In more recent years, she had started to paint pottery with her grandson Sam. 

The Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 3, 2018 at St. Mark’s Catholic Church, Rothschild with a luncheon to follow. The Very Reverend Allan Slowiak will officiate. Burial will be at Pine Grove Cemetery, Wausau at a later date. Friends may call from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Friday November 2, 2018 at Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, 1302 Sixth Street, Wausau and again on Saturday, at the church, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of services . Online condolences may be expressed at www.petersonkraemer.com.

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