Hartwig, Mary Catherine

Mary Catherine (Mickey) Hartwig was born in Oceanside, California, December 17, 1943, and died at home in Blacksburg, Virginia, October 5, 2008. She joined Jesus Christ in eternal glory after a grace-filled battle with cancer.

The gift of her life was such a blessing to all who knew her. She adored God and her family. She relished her role as “Nana” and greatly enjoyed her “Tuesday Lunch Ladies” of Wisconsin. She was an English teacher, registered lobbyist and retail clerk, but most of all a devoted mother and beloved Nana.

She raised her family in Peoria, Illinois, and helped raise her grandchildren in Madison, Wisconsin, and Blacksburg, Virginia. Her parents, Joseph and Mary (Stang) Tamulis, and brother, Joseph Tamulis, preceded her in death.

She is survived by her brother, William Tamulis (companion Kathryn Michel), of Burlington, Wisconsin; her daughter, Heather (Hartwig) and David Boyd and their children, Willie, John Henry, Andrew and Katie, of Blacksburg, Virginia; and her son, Joseph and Lisa (Swedeen) Hartwig and their children, Devon and Sydney Jo, of Peoria, Illinois.

A Memorial Mass will be said at St. Mary’s Parish Blacksburg 9: 30 a.m. Monday, October 13, 2008. A reception will follow. All are welcome. Interment will be at Westview Cemetery in Blacksburg.

In lieu of flowers, Nana asked that donations be made to one or more of these charities: St. Mary’s Parish Building Fund (www.stmarysblacksburg.org); Good Samaritan Hospice ( www.goodsamhospice.com ); your local chapter of the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org); Autism Society of Greater Madison (www.autismmadison.org); or Young Shakespeare Players (www.ysp.org).

Thank you to all who provided prayers for and support to Nana and her family throughout her illness.

Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg.