Therese Ann (Murphy) Fritz

Therese Ann Fritz, Harvard, Ill., passed away peacefully at home on March 16th, 2021, three days before her 90th birthday.

Born March 19th, 1931, near Madison, Wis., she was the youngest of three children of John and Ella (Thorpe) Murphy of Delavan.

Ann married Robert Fritz on June 25, 1955, in Delavan. They purchased a dairy farm on State Line Road in 1958, which they developed into a grain and beef-cattle feedlot business.  

One of Ann’s greatest gifts was her deep well of unconditional love and support for her family. No matter the setback or choice, she would offer confidence in our abilities and encourage us to press on. She reveled in her maternal role and often introduced herself simply as “the mother.”

She was an adventurous and talented cook and baker, and busy canner and freezer of each summer’s bounty. Ann and Bob traveled widely with friends and enjoyed wintering in Arizona.

Ann is survived by six children: three daughters – Kathleen (Thomas Duhigg), Walworth, Wis.; Mary (William Peterson), Harvard; Joann, Darien, Wis.; and three sons Patrick (Dawn Beetstra), Harvard; Michael (Cynthia Bender), Monona, Wis.; and Jon, Sharon, Wis. In addition, she has 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Ann was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; her parents, a sister Katherine Darre, and a brother William Eugene.

A private Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Benedict Catholic Church, Fontana-On-Geneva Lake, Wis. Interment will be at St. Andrews Parish Cemetery, Delavan.

As Aunt Dorothy Thorpe wrote in her poem “Little Annie Rooney” commemorating Ann and Bob’s wedding,

“The day is coming very soon; it is the twenty-fifth of June. That’s when “I do” by both is said. And Bob and Annie will be wed.

“With gifts and best wishes going their way, there’s just one more thing that I can say –To the handsome husband and his beautiful wife, “May God’s blessings be with you the rest of your life.”

All who knew Ann were blessed by her ebullient spirit. A mother is a story with no beginning. She exists from your earliest memories and she will be greatly missed.

Special thanks to Ana, Sharon, Sarah, Brenda, Cece, and other caregivers and Mercy Health at Home for their kindness and gentle help with Ann.

Memorials may be directed to St. Benedict Church, or Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee-Adoption Services, P.O. Box 070912, Milwaukee, WI 53207

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