Mary Gene 'Mimi' Moncher

GILE, Wis. - Mary Gene "Mimi" Moncher, 71, of Gile, passed away on Monday, May 1, 2023.

Our mom was born May 16, 1951, the youngest of six children born to Eugene and Ann (Lopez) Jacquart. When her sister, Sue, had trouble pronouncing Mary, she gained the nickname Mimi and it stuck.

She attended St. Ambrose School, graduating with the class of 1969. Over the years, she worked a multitude of jobs, many in the food industry, from Hayes Dairy Bar in the 1960s to Mr. G's and the Branding Iron throughout the 80s and 90s. Her expertise in that department culminated in the ownership and operation of The Silver Dragon and Wishbones with our stepdad, Chatsie. She also played guest bartender at The Munch, hosting smelt fries and creating dishes like her famous pork balls. Throughout the years there were also forays into retail, one of her earliest and fondest being Sears. For years we heard stories about the fun she had working there and the lifelong friendships she made. People may also remember her working at her family's fruit stand and the Snoop Shop or doling out penny candy at Hulstrom's City Newsstand and the Agate Shop. In the early 90s, after a brief stint at Rose Wreath, she thought "Why can't we start our own wreath company?" and Santa's Wreaths was born. She and Chatsie worked tirelessly to build the company from the ground up. It now produces nearly 30,000 seasonal decorations annually made by a staff of loyal friends and family.

On April 29, 1972, Mimi married our dad, Tom Jackson. They were blessed with three girls, Jamey, Anney and Joey. They later divorced, but continued to co-parent until Tom's passing in 2001.

On July 19, 1997, Mimi married the love of her life, Charles "Chatsie" Moncher, gaining five bonus children. Their blended families celebrated many milestones over the years; weddings, graduations and the arrival of many grandchildren and even some great- grandchildren.

Mimi was a woman of so many talents. When her girls were younger there was nothing she couldn't sew, from matching red bandana bedspreads to all manner of Halloween costumes, knitting, crocheting, cooking, tiling, painting, gardening; she did it all. Taxes and bookkeeping, if you needed to know a phone number from rotary dial days; her mind was like a vault of numbers. There was literally nothing our mom could or would not do for someone. A family friend summed it up best, "Mimi was the duct tape holding everyone else together. If she had 50 cents and you needed a dollar, she would find the other 50 cents for you." She was the long term caretaker of both our Grandpa Eugene and our Aunt Sue, often neglecting her own needs in the process.

Mimi also played in numerous dart and pool leagues over the years. In her younger days, she was an avid bingo player and still enjoyed scratch off tickets, the more detailed the better. She loved reading mysteries, watching Hallmark movies and doing paint by numbers. But above all, Mimi loved being a mom. Not a day went by without a visit, a phone call or a text. Each day ended with an "I love you" or "over the moon." In her eyes we were the smartest, most beautiful people in the whole world. She was our biggest cheerleader and our best friend. And we weren't alone in feeling that way. She was like a second mom to most of our friends.

Mimi is survived by her husband, Chatsie; daughters, Jamey, Anney (Jeremy "Wally" Walston) and Joey (Ryan Baross); bonus children, Joey (Kelly) Moncher, Ricky (Ulya) Moncher, Jimmy (Chris) Moncher, Karen (Jeff) Tenlen and Dan (Brittany Massoglia) Moncher; grandchildren, David, April, Kari, Jimmy, Heather, Angelika, Timosha, Vitalina, Keanu, Jeffrey, Jacob, Devvin and arguably the favorite, Gavyn; and numerous great-grandchildren.

She is further survived by brothers, Ronald (Gary) Jacquart and Donald (Diane) Jacquart; numerous in-laws from both the Jackson and Moncher families; several cousins from the Jacquart and Jagla families, including Kathy, who was more like a sister; numerous nieces and nephews, including her two closest, Dan and Nick Averitt; and her former sister-in-law, Bett Jacquart; her hand chosen extra daughter, Deb (Paul) Tijan and their children Roarke, Bruce and Brendan; extra "sons," Michael Mullen and Joel Miller; her fur children, Pearl, Pepper, Fletcher, Ferguson and Fiona; and a special group of friends, Brian, Mayrene, Diane, Vicki, Shirley, Peg and her best friend since high school, always forever and eternally, Sandy.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Eugene and Ann; a sister, Janice, in infancy; her brother, Paul; a sister, Sue; a nephew, Jimmy and his father Jim; father of her girls, Tom Jackson; her former mother-in-law, Barbara Jackson; a beloved aunt and uncle, Kay and Bob Jacquart; and numerous in-laws from the Moncher family.

Services will be held at Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, 108 S. Marquette St., in Ironwood, on Friday, May 26, visitation at 10 a.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. The Rev. Brian Gerber will be the celebrant. Luncheon to follow at the Aurora Club in Ironwood.

In lieu of cut flowers, please plant something in your yard to remember her by or donate to HOPE, Box 261, Ironwood, MI 49938.

Jerald Rocco, owner and manager of Lakeside Memorial Chapel Inc., in Wakefield, Michigan, is assisting the family with arrangements. To send online condolences or to share a memory, please go to lakesidememorialchapel.com.