FORT ATKINSON — A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Joseph Church, 1660 Endl Blvd., on Monday, Jan. 26, at 12 noon for Audrey Mettel Fixmer, a long-time writer for the Catholic Herald.
Fixmer, 86, died peacefully at her home in Fort Atkinson on January 22, surrounded by her family.
Visitation will be held at the Nitardy Funeral Home, 1008 Madison Ave., Fort Atkinson, on Sunday, Jan. 25, from 2 to 6 p.m. and at St. Joseph Church on Monday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
Born in Aurora, Ill., on January 25, 1928, she was the daughter of Gertrude (Pattermann) and Alois Mettel.
She married Robert Fixmer (now deceased) on August 23, 1947, in Aurora, Ill. They had 11 children, 19 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren.
She graduated from Madonna High School in Aurora and received both Bachelor and Master’s degrees in education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
She taught English in the Fort Atkinson public schools for 22 years at both the high school and middle school levels. An avid patron of the arts, she performed and directed numerous plays for both the school district and the Fort Atkinson Community Theater.
She was a member of St. Joseph Parish in Fort Atkinson and wrote a column, “Grand Mom,” for the Catholic Herald of the Diocese of Madison for 23 years. She also wrote a novel, Song of the Phoenix, and published a collection of articles entitled Growing Old Gracefully and Other Likely Stories.
She taught communications, public speaking, and writing your life story courses at Madison Area Technical College.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, in 2010, and an infant son, Gregory. She is survived by 10 children: Rob (Lee), Scotch Plaines, N.J.; Tom (Janet), Firestone, Colo.; Tim (Carson), Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Elizabeth, Fort Atkinson; Katie (Curt), Stoughton; Kris (Mark Dziewior), Fort Atkinson; Gretchen, Denver, Colo.; Patty (Ernie) Gerhard, Fort Atkinson; John (Janine), Fort Atkinson; and Mark, Fort Atkinson.
Memorials may be made to St. Joseph School, Fort Atkinson, or Rainbow Hospice.