Mary Strange, who died in September 2025, had long been known at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton for her kindness, generosity and willingness to help others through volunteering.
She left an estate gift of $200,000 that will be shared with the ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton Volunteer Scholarship Fund and the ThedaCare Foundation-Appleton.
Strange was a long-time volunteer at the gift shop at ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton where she served for years as treasurer. She also served on the Board at ThedaCare Peabody Manor, a skilled nursing facility.
She passed away in September of 2025, leaving instructions for her donation of $200,000 to be shared with the ThedaCare Family of Foundations.
“She was really dedicated to her volunteer work,” said Mary Peterson, Strange’s volunteer colleague of nearly 30 years. “She was a businessperson so she was good with numbers and figures and did the bookkeeping for the gift shop. She would show up every day, always pleasant, smiling, dedicated to her duty of taking care of the volunteers. She was dependable. It wasn’t just a volunteer opportunity for her, it was her mission in life to help others.”
Barb Schlafer worked with Strange as a volunteer at the gift shop and also as a member of the gift shop committee. She said Strange, who enjoyed a successful career in banking before retiring, was an asset to the volunteer team and was a caring person who made a positive impression on those she served.
“She was the gift shop’s long time treasurer and stopped in the shop daily, keeping track of the revenue and expenses, paid the bills, did the banking, kept financial records and was always on top of what was going on,” Schlafer said. “She cared a great deal for the volunteers and the program. They were very important to her and so dear to her heart.”
Strange’s brother, Dave, confirmed the family’s tradition of giving.
“We grew up with parents who role-modeled volunteerism and giving,” he said. “Mary was a kind and generous person to everyone. Her volunteer work with ThedaCare began in the mid-1950s when she volunteered to become a Candy Striper. Throughout the rest of her life, she continued to volunteer and give to many organizations.”
