Mariellen L. Kuehn

MADISON-Mariellen Laucht Kuehn died on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. Mariellen was born on Oct. 23, 1939, to G. Gordon and Ethel Watson Green Laucht in Baltimore, Md. and was baptized at Calvary Lutheran Church. Mariellen was a disciple of Christ. She was able to begin each day with the renewed intention to be loving, kind, honest and caring to others. At age 16, Mariellen attended Valparaiso University where she met and fell in love with Harry Kuehn. She was drawn to his good looks, his smile and the way he lived his faith. They were married on June 7, 1959. Their lives were filled with family, friends, hard work, fun, disagreements, trust and love; their faith in God and each other supported them through the highs and lows of life. They were blessed with two daughters, Lisa Watson-Hill, a Lutheran pastor and Laura (Mike) Hobart, a college math professor; and four grandchildren, Fox Hobart, Bets Hobart, Leo Hill and Harry Watson-Hill. Mariellen’s early life centered around her husband, her children and her church until Lisa and Laura entered middle school when she enrolled as a sophomore at the UW-Madison. She earned her BA in 1976 and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Phi Beta Kappa. She earned her MSSW in Social Work in 1977 and went to work for the WI Medical Assistance Program. In 1984, she received her PhD in Social Welfare and Sociology and took a position as Assistant Director at the UW-Madison Waisman Center. She retired as Associate Director in 1998 due to poor health. Mariellen’s primary purpose in life was to advocate for and promote social equity and social justice. She was a consultant to the Reagan White House and to the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services on cultural diversity and disabilities. She also worked with the National Urban League, the ASPIRA National Association, the Lakota Indian Tribe and 22 of the U.S. University Centers of Excellence on Disabilities. Since her retirement, she volunteered with the Triangle Community Ministry which provides nursing, chaplaincy and program services for residents in the Triangle Neighborhood. Mariellen was very grateful and thankful for the family, friends, colleagues, caregivers, acquaintances, strangers and unexpected angels who taught and supported her during her lifetime. A funeral service will be held at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 2950 Chapel Valley Rd., Fitchburg, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. In lieu of flowers, donations may be gifted in Mariellen’s name to Triangle Community Ministry in Madison. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson Fitchburg Funeral & Cremation Care 2950 Chapel Valley Road (608) 442-5002