Mary K. Sennello

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Vistations and Service Have Been Postponed due to the inclement weather. Updated details will be forthcoming on this website.

*********iMPORTANT UPDATED FUNERAL INFORMATION*********

A mass of Christian  burial will be celebrated at 11am on Friday, March 20th at St. John's  Catholic Church in Marshfield, WI.  Visitation will begin an hour before the service.  Father Dan Thelen will officiate. 

Visitation will also be held at Hansen-Schilling funeral home on Thursday, March 19th, from 5-7 pm. There wil be a rosary at 5 pm.

Mary Kathleen Sennello, age 78, of Marshfield, passed away peacefully on March 4, 2026, after a brief stay at the House of the Dove.  Family and friends were by her side to send her on her journey.

Burial will be at the Gate of Heaven cemetery in Marshfield at a later date. 

Mary was born on April 15, 1947, in Maryland, daughter of John Nelson Browell Sr and Alice (Flanagan).  She graduated from Elizabeth Seton Catholic high school in Bladensberg, MD in 1965 and went on to St. Agnes Nursing School in Baltimore.  After graduation in 1968, she married Steve Russell and they had one daughter, Kelly.  They later divorced.  She then married Doug Sennello and they later divorced.

Mary’s nursing career and life as a military wife took her far and wide: Maryland, Iowa, Illinois, California and Alaska.  She worked in almost all areas including pediatrics, ob, and the emergency room.  She loved telling about her celebrity encounters at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles (this was pre-HIPAA of course!). She retired from nursing after about 33 years of dedicated service.  Afterward she continued to provide service as a member of the PEO (Philanthropic Education Organization), DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and the Franciscans.

In 2009 Mary moved to Marshfield, WI to be closer to her brother Jack.  She loved living in her own apartment and every year she insisted on having the biggest real Christmas tree possible.  She loved Christmas.

She also loved Diet Coke, strawberry waffles and blueberry muffins from Perkins (her favorite restaurant) and her sweet dog Lady.  But above all she cherished her family.  And it was a large one which encompassed her immediate family, her church family, friends, and the OA organization (Overeaters Anonymous).  Mary lost 137 pounds through sheer will and the support of her friends at OA.  She participated in daily phone meetings, coached others and was a regular speaker telling her success story.  She made thousands of outreach calls over the years to provide support to others.

She treasured her Catholic family at St. John’s and attended daily mass as long as she could.  When her health failed, she would watch EWTN and every mass she could find.  She would ask her niece Marilyn to order miraculous medals and rosaries in bulk so she would always have them on hand to give out. 

And finally, Mary’s friends and family were everything to her.  She adored her daughter, nieces and nephews and called them daily (sometimes multiple times per day!). She maintained a close relationship with childhood friends, Lorise and Dee Dee and dear friends Flory, Georgia, Jim, Lorraine and many others.  Their support meant everything to Mary and her family.

Mary leaves a huge legacy of service, love, devotion and hope.  When times were tough and her health was a challenge, she would say “God’s got my back” or “Pray, hope and don’t worry” in the words of Saint Padre Pio.  What a powerful reminder to those of us who miss her.

Mary is survived by daughter Kelly Russell of Anderson, SC, sister in law Kay Browell, nieces Kim O’Connell (Terry), Dayna Crim (Jeff), Jane Renfors Padrutt (Tom), Carolyn Browell Rohde (Bret), Patricia Gurzi (Steve), Marilyn Browell Hoglund (Kevin), nephew Michael Browell and many grand nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mary was predeceased by her parents John and Alice, siblings John (Jack) Browell Jr., Joe Browell, Frank Browell and sister Margaret Renfors.
 
The family wishes to say a special thank you to Sharon LeMay for her love and dedication to Mary, friends Karyn Kostka and Ann Kundinger for being prayer warriors who were there when Mary passed, to all the people who helped Mary remain independent, visited and provided support and love and the House of the Dove hospice angels who cared for her.


 

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