Mary Jane Poepl

Mary Jane Poepl, age 94, of Hastings passed away peacefully on July 7, 2013 in Hastings. She was born “upstairs” in her dad’s general store in Vermillion, MN on September 16, 1918, the eldest of four daughters. Her first eight grades were in a one room school house down the street where her teacher, Angela Deary declared her “smart as a whip”. She graduated from Hastings High School at age 16 and four years later from College of St. Teresa, Winona, MN. She married F.J. “Rusty” Poepl in 1940 and celebrated 67 wedding anniversaries until his passing in 2008. She was an accomplished soprano who for over 30 years sang countless anniversaries, weddings, and those long Sunday High Masses. Like many moms, she was the family’s teacher, doctor, nurse, advisor, confidant, washer women, cleaning lady, cook and head disciplinarian, all the while partnering in her husband’s banking business. She was a lovely lady, her most commonly used delay tactic, “We’ll see” and her most often used motherly advice, “It’s ok, it will be fine.” Mary Jane was preceded in death by her husband, Rusty; parents, Louis and Elizabeth Fasbender; sister and brother-in-law, Dorothy and Steve Burr; brothers in law, Dick Schoen and Ron Goedken. Survived by, sisters, Lois Schoen and Virginia “Kitty” Goedken; children, Mary Fran Spartz (Donald), Susan Poepl, John (Mary Pat) Poepl, Jeanne Poepl, grandchildren, Anne and John Spartz, James, Jacob and Matt Poepl; 3 great-grandchildren.A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 AM, Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 306 W. Main St. in Vermillion. Visitation 1 hour prior to service at church. Private family interment. Memorials preferred in lieu of flowers to St. John the Baptist Parochial School in Vermillion.