Ann Huotari

Ann LaBelle Huotari passed away on March 6, 2015. She was born July 10, 1921, to Evariste and Mary LaBelle of Powers, Michigan. She married Albert Huotari in 1944 and they made their home in Carney, Michigan. They eventually moved to Spencer, Wisconsin, where Ann worked as a teacher’s aide and also assisted children with developmental disabilities. Ann’s love of travel included spontaneous jaunts to local sites, as well as adventures farther away to Paris and Quebec. She especially loved the trips she took with Al, spending time in Florida and enjoying the manatees. “Leave the dishes in the sink, and go for a ride,” she said. She was a voracious reader and lover of words, and could always be counted on to provide the proper spelling and pronunciation. She created a home filled with love, acceptance, and deliciously-prepared comfort foods. Her cinnamon rolls and pot roasts were renowned. Ann’s curiosity in the world made her conversant in politics, current affairs, and celebrity shenanigans. Ann was gracious to everyone she met. Her legacy of love will always be with us. Cherished Mom, Mama, Mum to Michael and Jill, Mary, Kevin and Marie, Michele and Michael, and Kristin and Seth. Devoted Grandma to Damita and Rick, Alisha and Ron, Zachary, Amelia, Avery, Anne, and Lauren. Beloved Great-Grandma to Luc, Lydia, and Lola. Dear friend to Anthony Parson. Ann was preceded in death by her true love, Al, and their three children Mark, Ann, and John. A private funeral mass will be officiated by Father John Silva, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Monona, Wisconsin. Burial will be in Spalding, Michigan. Her family extends special gratitude to the compassionate people at Girlie’s Manor, Cross Plains, and Agrace HospiceCare. Extraordinary thanks to Dr. Christine Seibert, U.W. Health, who provided care, comfort, and friendship to Ann for 20 years. " I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one. I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done. I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways, of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days. I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun of happy memories that I leave when life is done." Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive (608)221-5420