Mary G. Schaap, 56, of Elkhart Lake, was called home by her Lord and Savior on July
26, 2024, at Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice in Sheboygan Falls, following a
long and courageous battle with cancer. She was born December 16, 1967, in Oconto
to William and Ida (Forcier) Siebert. Mary graduated from Sheboygan South High
School with the Class of 1986 and went on to receive her nursing degree from Viterbo
University in La Crosse.
On July 6, 1996, she was united in marriage to Michael Schaap. They celebrated 28
wonderful years together and were blessed with two children, Gabrielle (fiancé Karch
Swaylik) Schaap of Hawaii and Dylan Schaap of Elkhart Lake.
Mary enjoyed a fulfilling career as a Registered Nurse at Aurora Sheboygan Medical
Center.
Having a strong faith, she was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in
Elkhart Lake. Her faith was very important to her, and she was drawn to The National
Shrine of Our Lady of Champion in Champion, WI. It was one of her favorite places to
visit, a place where she was at peace and her faith was replenished.
Mary’s family was her pride and joy. She loved spending time with them and was always
supportive of everything they did. She was a girl scout leader for many years and a true
“dance mom”, there for all of Gabrielle’s competitions and events. So many lasting
memories were created over the years that will be truly cherished by all. Mary also
enjoyed pilates, traveling and cleaning. In fact, her family would tease her that if she
didn’t have a vacuum in her hand, she wasn’t happy. Mary loved being outdoors where
she would spend time hiking, boating, kayaking and walking. When she was first
diagnosed with cancer, she was walking in a sunflower field. In one section all the
sunflowers were turned down except for one. Mary took that sunflower as a sign of
strength, beauty, light and peace. The sunflower represented Mary’s zest for life and
fighting spirit ever since.
Along with her husband and children, Mary is survived by her mother Ida Siebert, two
sisters Cheri (Chuck) Mauer of West Bend and Shelly (Alan) Hiebing of Cape Coral, FL,
her in-laws Dick and Lorraine Schaap, brothers-in-law Jeff Pribek and Mark (Laura)
Schaap, and sister-in-law Lisa (Tom) Jansen and her fur baby Luna. She is further
survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Mary was preceded in death
by her father William Siebert, two brothers Mark and Greg Siebert, and two sisters-in-
law Lori Pribek and Linda Schaap.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday, July 29, 2024, at 12:00 noon at St.
Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 94 N. Lincoln St., Elkhart Lake, with Fr. Subi Thomas
officiating. Relatives and friends may visit with the family on Monday, July 26, 2024,
from 10:00 AM until the time of mass at the CHURCH.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The National Shrine of Our Lady of
Champion, 4047 Chapel Dr. Champion, WI 54229 in Mary’s name.
The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of Froedtert West Bend and
Milwaukee, the staff of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Center, and to the staff of Sharon S.
Richardson Community Hospice for their care, compassion and support.
Please visit our website to share your stories and leave your condolences for the family
www.reinboldfh.com
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