Mary Ann (Dupee) Ousley

Mary Ann Dupee Ousley (Mrs. Joseph L.)

Mary Ann Dupee Ousley died on March 8, 2021. Mary was born October 6, 1924, in Earlville, Illinois, the daughter of John A. and Hope (Barnard) Dupee.  She moved with her family to Freeport, Illinois when at a very early age. She graduated from Freeport High School in 1942 and Beloit College in 1946.

Mary was a high school teacher in Prophetsown, Illinois for two years. She and Joseph L. Ousley were junior high school sweethearts and married in the First Presbyterian Church in Freeport on September 4, 1948.  While Joe was in medical school at the University of Chicago, Mary worked as an editorial assistant at Scott Foresman, the textbook publisher. She and Joe moved to Madison, Wisconsin, in 1951 and lived there until 1955, when Joe’s medical residency was completed. They moved to Marshfield in 1955, when Joe joined the Marshfield Clinic.

As a child, Mary paid attention to the many basketball games played by her three brothers, and she remained a ballgame fan throughout her life. In 2012, she was inducted into the Marshfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a loyal fan. She and Joe also traveled frequently to see the Badgers play basketball, and Mary attended many games at the University of Wisconsin, Wood County-Marshfield.

Mary and Joe were members of the Marshfield Presbyterian Church for over 60 years, where they each served as Elders for several terms.

Mary, like Joe, was a life-long musician. She played flute, piano, and sang, and accompanied Joe and her children on piano. She shared her love of music -- from Rachmaninoff to Pat Metheny to Oscar Peterson -- with her children. Those who came to know her well discovered she was a bit of a prankster with a wicked sense of humor.

Mary is lovingly survived by her children and their spouses, Susan Ousley, Washington, DC, Sarah (Charles) Will, Andover, New Hampshire, Joseph Ousley, Jr, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Paul (Melissa) Ousley, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Mary Ann DeVries, Madison, Wisconsin, Nora Henry, Mankato, Minnesota; her grandchildren: Marquan, Andrew, Mary, Sarah, Katie, Jacob, Amelia, Parker, Emma, Grace, Eric, and Ben; four great-grandchildren, Autumn, Will, Delia, and Kamurai; and twenty adored nieces and nephews.

She also survived by dear friends, Karen Kofka and Rita and Bill Dietsche, to whom the family is deeply grateful for their loving attention to her care.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, brothers John A. Dupee, Jr., Robert Dupee, and David Dupee; sisters Sarah Dupee and Elizabeth Ferry; daughter Rebecca Henry; niece Deborah Dupee; and grandson Andre Ousley.

The family thanks Wells NatureView and St. Croix Hospice staffs for so attentively and kindly caring for their mother.

Memorials may be given to The First Presbyterian Church or the Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation.

The family plans to hold a memorial service in July or August when it is safe for family and friends to gather.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Ann (Dupee) Ousley, please visit our floral store.