Mary Elizabeth Mollet

Mary "Betty" Elizabeth Mollet, age 81, of Antigo, died on April 21, 2024 at Marshfield Medical Center surrounded by her beloved husband and children. She was born on September 28, 1942, in a farmhouse near New Holstein, Wisconsin, the second child of the late Alex and Leona Schmitz. After graduating from New Holstein High School, she attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where she met her future husband Donald Mollet, who was also attending school there. The couple married on June 4, 1966, at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Johnsburg, Wisconsin. Prior to having children, she and her husband made their home in Waupaca, Wisconsin, before moving to the state of Oregon where Mrs. Mollet completed her master's degree in math education at the University of Oregon in Eugene. After living in Burns, Oregon, and Oakfield, Wisconsin, the couple settled with their two small children in Antigo, Wisconsin, in 1976 and have remained active members of the community ever since.
Mrs. Mollet was a math teacher at the Unified School District of Antigo for more than 25 years, retiring in 2003. She taught briefly in a few different school districts early in her career, but Antigo High School became her long-term professional home. She held leadership roles in the math department and coached forensics, in addition to teaching algebra, trigonometry, and calculus. She always said she loved teaching math because it didn't come naturally to her, which helped her see what students needed to break through their learning barriers. She had a knack for reframing hard concepts to make them easier to understand.
Before an autoimmune disease robbed her of strength in recent years, Betty enjoyed several fitness and outdoor activities. She and her husband were members of the Antigo Bike and Ski Club, and she enjoyed both biking with the club and cross-country skiing on the trails of Langlade County. For decades, Betty was a jogging enthusiast-often seen trotting along the country roads around Antigo-and she completed many 10K events, joining annually in both the Antigo Tater Trot and the Bellin Run, among others. In addition to enjoying the outdoors, Betty was an avid quilter and took part in an informal crafting club of retired teachers. She enjoyed researching quilting techniques and sewing quilts, table runners, and more for her family and friends. She grew an impressive garden each year and was especially skilled or lucky at harvesting rhubarb, which she baked into delicious pies and other treats. Betty was known for her steadfast dedication to whatever she set her mind to; for her intelligence and organizational skills; for her friendship and loyalty; for her skill as a teacher, tutor, advisor, and listener; and for her sense of humor (math jokes were a particular favorite).
Survivors include her husband of 58 years, Donald, of Antigo; a daughter, Sarah (Matthew) Baranowski of Seattle, Washington; a son, Corey (Dorothy Rand) Mollet of St. Louis Park, Minnesota; 5 grandchildren: Raelynn, Lilah, and Genevieve Baranowski of Seattle, and Espen and Freya Rand Mollet of St. Louis Park; and 4 siblings (brothers Roger, Robert, and Fred Schmitz, all residents of Wisconsin, and a sister Anne Wilke of Oregon). She is also survived by a loving extended family of sisters- and brothers-in-law, many nieces and nephews, and lifelong friends.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a brother, Alan Schmitz, and she had a stillborn twin sister who was never named.
An open house will be held on Sunday, May 26 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. followed by a time of reflection from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Bradley Funeral Home.
There will be a potluck picnic on Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at City Park West Pavilion.
The family requests charitable donations instead of flowers. Memorials in Mary Mollet's name may be directed to either the Autoimmune Association or the Antigo Bike and Ski Club.