M. Lucia ""Punky"" Gronbeck

Madison / La Crosse -- On Sunday, the 12^th of September 2010, Punky took her last journey to be with her Lord. Punky was born Marian Lucia Weiss at home in a blizzard, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on February 28, 1923 to Edna and Otto Weiss. She attended Franklin elementary school and graduated from Logan High School Class of 1940. Being an avid sportswoman, Punky attended the UW La Crosse majoring in Physical Education and graduated with her degree in 1944. She was a member of Delta Psi Kappa. She taught Phy Ed at La Crosse Logan, Longfellow, and Roosevelt Schools as well as in Stevens Point. She was also a Manitowish camper and counselor.

On June 12^th 1948, she married her childhood sweetheart Snorre Gronbeck after he finished his engineering degree, in La Crosse. They relocated to Wausau, and eventually settled in Madison. There they raised their two daughters Ann, and Signe, and designed and built their dream home together. They lived there the remainder of both their lives. Punky had wonderful neighbors and she loved her home where she felt closest to Snorre after his passing, we are so happy that she was able to spend her last years in the home she loved so, with her daughter Signe and son-in-law Dean.

Punky was a woman before her time, she was active and excelled in field hockey, tennis, dance, swimming, biking, hiking, and golfing. She was a lead cheerleader for La Crosse Logan. She also enjoyed duck hunting, canoeing, camping, and travel. She was a champion golfer, she could play with the best of them, even off of the men's tee. She taught many the young golfers how to swing a club. Being an excellent swimmer, and expert in a canoe, she directed waterfront activities at Manitowish, being the first gal to portage a canoe solo, and leading the first girls boundary waters Canadian canoe trip. She and Snorre spent their honeymoon canoeing in the Quetico. She stayed active in outdoor activities with her girls through the Girl Scouts, particularly canoeing with daughter Ann. She was so good to her girls, she was very proud of both her daughters.

Punky and Snorre always stayed close to La Crosse, visiting with their parents and friends most weekends at the family cottage on Brice Prairie. She and Snorre loved exploring and hunting in the Mississippi bottoms. She enjoyed and tried to spend as much time as she could at that cottage with friends, and family, she had just returned from the cottage on the day of her passing.

Punky and Snorre also loved the outdoors, auctions, antiquing, collecting, football, and travel. She and Snorre were able to enjoy two wonderful extended trips to Norway, and many car trips around America and Canada to visit the National Parks. She loved spending time at her daughter Signe's horse farm, always with a pocket full of carrots. She loved animals and they loved her. Her constant companion was her ""granddog"" Won Ton, for the past three years, he never left her side. She was a Packer backer, and was honored to get a personal phone call from Antonio Freeman during her cancer recovery. She tried to never miss a game.

Punky was a tough woman with a generous and gentle heart. Her family and friends were her life. She was a survivor, she beat cancer at the age of 83, a heart attack at 84, and a tornado. She was very smart and had a wry sense of humor and a twinkle in her eye. She was just plain fun, her home was always a gathering spot, from the Logan gang, to the neighbors and kids in Madison, everyone was welcome, and especially their dogs. She was always ready with a snappy comeback, and recently enjoyed saying she had flunked hospice by getting too well. She was proud of her painful immobility because she said it was the result of all the fun she had. Her spunk and positive attitude was an inspiration. She was tired, but she was always a fighter that never gave up, and she was still making plans. She lived as she wanted, and left the same way, she went out swinging. She is with Snorre now, she missed him so but was determined to always make the best of everyday she was given, she always put others before herself, she was always there to lend a helping hand, we are going to miss her love and her kindness and her humor for the rest of our days until we join her.

She is survived by her two beloved daughters Ann Peterson (Dan) of La Crosse, Signe Gronbeck-Johnson (Dean) of Albion. Her beloved grandson Peder Dovhe-Peterson of La Crosse, sisters-in-law Herdis (Harry) Peters of Chicago, Leta (Marius) Gronbeck of Platteville and Ruth (Romer) Gronbeck-Klumpp of Nashville, and many nieces and nephews, all so dear to her heart. She was preceded in death by her wonderful husband Snorre (2001), her cherished grandson Jacob, her loving parents mother Edna and father Otto, and her sweet brother J. Gale Weiss (Dorothy). We would like to thank her dear old childhood friends Verlyn, Connie, Toby, Dusty and Margie, her neighbors ""The Kathy's"" and Doug, Bea and Paul, Gert and Bob, and Dorothy, her friends Dr. Micke and Cheryl, and her ""daughter"" Lein, Pastor Lynn and Mary all of whom without their love and support Punky would not have been able to stay in her home, and her techs at dialysis who knew her as Spunky Monkey Punky, and the fine staff of Meriter Hospital for her health care. There are so many others, she was very loved.

Punky wanted a Celebration of Life, not a funeral. In coordination with Cress Funeral Services of Madison, a visitation is planned at DICKINSON FUNERAL HOME, 809 Gillette Street, La Crosse on Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., followed by a simple graveside service at Oak Grove Cemetery in La Crosse. Flowers are welcome but a donation to an animal or nature fund of your choice for Punky would be wonderful. Punky was in planning for a bar-b-q for her Madison friends and neighbors in her home, we will carry out that plan for her, as a memorial to her life of hospitality and generosity, we don't have a date yet, but we think she would have enjoyed it on a Packer or a Badger game day. If you cannot attend and wish to have your favorite memory of Punky read at either celebration please leave it on her guest book at https://www.cressfuneralservice.com/ or http://www.dickinsonfuneralhomes.com/