Mary Josephine “Mary Jo” Karnath
Entered the Lord’s Kingdom on Wednesday, January 29, 2025. She was born in Wausau, WI on March 17, 1952 to John and Katherine (nee Philpot) Schoeneman. She graduated from Wausau High School in 1970 and from Marian College of Fond Du Lac in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. She moved to Milwaukee for a job at St. Joseph’s hospital. It was here at a nurse’s Halloween party in 1975 that she met Alan Karnath. A romance developed and they were married on July 9, 1977 in Milwaukee. She continued her career working at St. Michael Hospital in ICU for 30 years and at the Ambulatory Surgery Center in Menomonee Falls for 10 years. She retired in 2015, capping a 42 year nursing career. She had polycystic kidneys and was on dialysis for 18 months. She received a kidney transplant in March of 2010.
Her interests included reading, making cards, and scrapbooking. With her reading she was involved in book clubs.
She went to many card making classes and had a group of three other ladies that met once a month at one the lady’s homes. She scrapbooked all of the family’s trips, made scrapbooks of each of the children’s growing up years, and made wedding scrapbooks. If a group of pictures could be scrapbooked, it was. She watched medical shows on TV like ER, which Al never understood. He would say “why do you watch medical shows when that is what you do all day?”, but she kept watching.
She was very involved in volunteering. At church she was on various committees. At the childrens’ schools she was in PTA and numerous other things along with attending the children’s activities. She was a leader in Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. At home, she tended to her flower gardens around the house and her raspberry patch.
She was an excellent baker. Her specialty was lemon bars.
The family took many trips around the US when the children were growing up. Later, she and Al took trips in the US and Canada, including Hawaii and Alaska.
She is survived by her husband, Al; daughters Melissa, Melanie, Nicole (Max Junda), son Roger (Keri), granddaughter Rae Junda, brothers Tom, Paul, Joe (Karen), sister–in-law Jill Karnath Lemke, brother-in-law John Hendricks, cousins, nephews, nieces, and many friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Al’s parents, Bruce and Joyce Karnath, sister Beth Hendricks, and a few of her classmates from the 1974 Marian College class.
In lieu of flowers, memorials in her name to the National Kidney Foundation or the PKD Foundation are requested. The family wishes to thank the diligent and caring staff at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.
Visitation will be Saturday February 8, 2025 at Emmanuel Community United Methodist Church, N84 W16707 Menomonee Ave. in Menomonee Falls, from 9:30am until time of memorial service at 11am.
