Mary A. Gantzer

Mary Ann was born on August 15, 1929, in Davenport, Iowa, to Alexander and Clara (Kuch) Koppes. She was survived by sister Alexandria Jane Crownover of Mesa, AZ. and passed away peacefully on March 31, 2026, in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

In April 1950, Mary married Vernon James Schwietz in Burlington, Iowa. They made their home in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where she lovingly raised three sons and a daughter. Mary built a long and dedicated career with Great Central Casualty Underwriters, where she worked as an operations manager.

Mary enjoyed traveling, especially occasional trips with her close friends to her favorite country, Spain. After Vernon’s passing in 1980, Mary relocated to her company’s headquarters in Peoria, Illinois, where she later retired.

In February 1993, she married Robert Parry Gantzer, and moved to Cordova, Tennessee. Together, they enjoyed traveling across the country, spending time with family, and boating on the Tennessee River in their houseboat whenever they could.

After Robert’s passing in April of 2016, Mary moved to Palatine, Illinois, to be closer to her daughter Susan and son Gary.

Mary was the beloved mother of Gary Alan Schwietz (Jeannie Pauline Schwietz) of Palatine, Illinois; James Richard Schwietz of Palm Springs, California; and Susan Kathleen Schwietz of Palatine, Illinois. She was the proud grandmother of Stephanie Jean Surprison of Otsego, Minnesota and great grandmother of Drew 25 and Logan 23. She was preceded in death by her son, Timothy Paul Schwietz (1955).

She was also preceded in death by her first husband, Vernon James Schwietz (1980), and her second husband, Robert Parry Gantzer (2016).

Mary Ann, requested no funeral services and encouraged her friends and family to remember her in their own way. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or The Salvation Army.