Phyllis Marie (Peretto) St. John, age 77, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 24, 2017, surrounded by family at The Cottages Memory Care in Shawano.
Phyllis was born July 13, 1940 in Stambaugh, MI, the daughter of the late Silvio and Elizabeth (Talerico) Peretto. She attended the Stambaugh schools, graduating with the class of 1958. She was a devout Catholic, giving her time and talent to numerous Catholic ministries. Phyllis was a member of St. Cecilia Catholic Church while a resident of Caspian, MI, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Harlingen, TX, St. Mary Queen of Peace in Kingsford, MI, and Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Shawano.
Phyllis loved music and enjoyed her music ministry as an organist at the churches she attended throughout her life. One of her musical highlights was playing the organ for the Funeral Mass of Freddy Fender, a famous musician from San Benito, TX. She enjoyed her family and was a mentor, confidant, and counselor to her six daughters, as well as many people who crossed her path. She was an active member of various Catholic organizations. Phyllis was proud of her Italian heritage and passed on her many talents, especially her love of music and cooking, to her daughters.
Phyllis is survived by her daughters, Jeanne (Dean) Kaczorowski of Shawano, Patricia Manning of Sugar Land, TX, Sue Pullen of Phoenix, AZ, Sally (Alan) Plott of Dallas, TX, Laurie (Maurice) Desjardins of Sugar Land, TX, and Kathy (Cam) Bevis of Cypress, TX; her brother, Ronald Peretto of Gaastra, MI; her sister-in-law, Carol Peretto of Kenosha, WI; 17 grandchildren, Jaime, Trista, Brittany, Douglas, Andrew, Kyle, Kami, Weslin, Trissa, Drew, Katherine, Hannah, Kimberly, Megan, Jake, Brady, and Ben; eleven great-grandchildren, Sean, Ryan, Evan, Elaina, Kaeden, Kashton, Eli, Kayleigh, Caleb, Triston, and Maxwell; her step-children, step-grandchildren, and step-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wallace St. John; her parents, Silvio and Elizabeth Peretto; and her brother, James Peretto.
To celebrate Phyllis’ beautiful life, a Mass of Resurrection will be held on Thursday, October 5, 2017 at 11:00 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Shawano. Fr. Tom Farrell will be the Celebrant. Interment will be in the Quinnesec Cemetery on Friday, October 6, 2017. Relatives and friends may call at the church on Thursday from 9:30 AM until the time of Mass.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Forget-Me-Not Fund, Inc., which supports Northeastern Wisconsin causes which are dedicated to educating caregivers, along with sponsoring training events and memory café’s for families touched by Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.
Mickelson Funeral & Cremation Service of Shawano is assisting the family with arrangements. Please share online condolences at www.mickelsonfs.com.
“The family extends their sincere appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Mindy Frimodig at ThedaCare Physicians, the staff at The Cottages Memory Care, and ThedaCare at Home Hospice in Shawano.”
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