Mary "Janice" Pittz

Mineral Point - Mary “Janice” Pittz of Mineral Point, age 78, was called home on Sunday, May 10, 2020 after a 3-year battle with pancreatic cancer. She was bOrn on October 2, 1941 in Dodgeville, daughter of William and Margaret (Cunningham) Schmitz, she attended Mineral Point High School where she was head majorette of the band. Janice was the youngest of 10 children, and with 8 brothers, grew up with a fighting spirit. She married Ralph Pittz on July 5, 1958. Together they raised 8 children; Ralph would say that she raised the kids – and was also a 2nd mother to a special few. In addition to farming for 60 years, she was also the backbone of the J&R Bar and then the Dodge-Point Country Club (DPCC) for over 30 years. It’s fitting that she passed on Mother’s Day as she spent many of them hosting brunch at the Club. She never missed a Labor Day weekend watching the Calcutta golf tournament; she and Ralph were inducted into the DPCC Hall of Fame. No stranger to hard work, she went on to work at Lands’ End and volunteered at the Dodgeville Food Panty after selling DPCC. As an active member of Ss. Mary & Paul Catholic Church/CCW, she was a regular at Church pasty sales. She loved to read and golf – even shooting a hole-in-one in 1996. She enjoyed her kids’ and grandkids’ school activities and could be heard yelling from the stands at many different sporting events. Janice and Ralph were inducted into the Mineral Point Wrestling Hall of Fame in January 2020. She enjoyed her Wednesday night ladies group and the occasional trip to the boat with friends. She loved opening day deer hunting meat paddles, and chatting with everyone at Tony’s Tap. Janice’s legacy is her kids: Tony (Lori) Pittz, Tim (Cindy) Pittz, Troy (Teresa) Pittz, Ted (Tina) Pittz, Tari (David) Engels all of Mineral Point, Torrie (Jeff) Zink, Sherrills Ford, NC, Trisha (Chris) Cox, Mineral Point and Tracie (Cody) Cook, Cottage Grove, WI. She dearly loved her 20 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren (with two more on the way). Janice is survived by a brother, John (Mary) Schmitz, Rockford, IL and sisters-in-law, Marian, Helen and Barb Schmitz as well as Alice Pittz OP, Marion O’Brien and special friend, Dave Field. She was preceded in death (2012) by Ralph, her husband of 54 wonderful years, her parents, a sister Kathleen, and brothers Harold, Don, Bernie, Kenny, Laverne (Curly), Joe and Billy; sister-in-law Betty Radtke and brother-in-law Ray Pittz. The family would like to thank the doctors and health care team who cared for Mom and especially Upland Hills Hospice. Cards for the family can be sent to Tony’s Tap, 10A Commerce St., Mineral Point, WI. Memorials received will be gifted to Gilda’s Club, Upland Hills Hospice and other groups Janice loved. A private Mass of Christian Burial will be held Thursday, May 14th at 11:00 am. A live stream of the mass can be found here. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. She loved many and was well-loved. She was a ton of fun. We’ll miss you Mom. http://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Religious-Organization/Congregation-of-St-Marys-St-Pauls-113542338679461/

Mary "Janice" Pittz

October 2, 1941 - May 10, 2020