Gretchen Ann Haugh

1940 - 2025

Gretchen Ann Haugh

Jul 14, 1940 - Oct 29, 2025

Gretchen Ann Haugh, a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister and friend, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on October 29th, 2025. She will be remembered for her universal kindness, selflessness, and ever-present smile that brightened the lives of everyone who knew her.

Gretchen was born on July 14, 1940, in Dubuque, Iowa, to Howard and June Schiltz. She grew up living around the world with her parents and sister, Suzanne, as part of a military family. Gretchen attended high school in Mannheim, Germany, and spent formative years of her life in, among other places, Brussels, Belgium, and Tokyo, Japan. Gretchen developed a great appreciation, respect and love for a wide range of cultures, countries and people around the World.

Gretchen attended St. Louis University where she was a language major. It is there where she met the love of her life, partner and best friend, Mike Haugh. On June 23rd of 1962 Gretchen and Mike were married. Together they raised four children: Lisa, Kevin, Michelle and Mark. She was always "all in" supporting her family in the many concurrent activities they pursued – softball, baseball, horseback riding, music, and even juggling where she herself became a proficient juggler with her son Mark.

Gretchen's focus and conversations were never about herself but always turned to how she could support others; family, relatives, friends and total strangers. A common refrain from someone who met her for the first time was: "she is so nice." Such a true statement. Her kindness was not an act, but a true character trait to her core, modeling the Golden Rule in everything she did. Gretchen's love extended to all of God's creatures. She loved horses and grew up an avid English rider, becoming a skilled and competitive hunter jumper. While raising her four kids, she applied her same love to raising the family's dogs, cat, guinea pigs, ducks and many other animals. The levels to which she would go to support her family and their cherished animals are best illustrated by her having the broken leg of a family guinea pig splinted and repaired at a cost many times that of the guinea pig itself, and by her efforts to sneak a duck into the Zoo to give it a safe habitat.

As Gretchen's children became adults, her love extended to new areas. As an empty nester, Gretchen took up golf so that she could spend more time with her husband in one of his greatest passions. Like all things Gretchen did, she went all in by taking twice-a-day lessons to quickly catch up to Mike's competitive level of play. This allowed Gretchen and Mike to travel the world, golfing with their friends and experiencing new people, places and cultures. Meanwhile she continued to support her kids and their families. She would pick up at a moment's notice to provide support for a new grandchild in her unassuming and caring way. She and her husband Mike developed a special relationship with each of their grandchildren, going so far as to take each of them on a special and magical out of town trip (sans parents) to a destination of their liking. Additionally, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, held a special place in Gretchen's heart as she hosted family vacations for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren there for the past 28 years.

Gretchen also immersed herself in a range of charities that involved helping others through her Church and beyond. She supported Meals on Wheels to bring food to those who have difficulty shopping or preparing meals themselves. She was a long-standing American Red Cross volunteer, providing food, shelter and other support to individuals affected by small and large-scale disasters. This included traveling with American Red Cross to support the victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy.

Known for her radiant smile and incredibly kind heart that was always focused on helping others, Gretchen touched and positively impacted the lives of so many. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.

Gretchen is survived by her husband of 63 years Mike Haugh; her children Lisa Gerow (Earl), Kevin Haugh (Astrid), Michelle Culp (Brad), and Mark Haugh (Sarah); her sister Suzanne Schiltz; her grandchildren Michael Gerow, Blake Gerow (Carley), Caroline Gerow Zimmerman (Jack), Preston Haugh, Garrett Haugh, Tabitha Culp, Faith Haugh, and Phoebe Haugh; and great-grandchildren Georgia and Palmer Gerow and Theodore and Harrison Zimmerman.

A service and celebration of her life will be held at the Church of Saint Mary in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, at 10 a.m. The family invites those who wish to to honor Gretchen's memory to do so by contributing to the American Red Cross or Alzheimer's Association.

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