Muriel Kay Pino

Muriel Kay Pino, 87, formerly of 186 E. Ninth Street, and a resident of the Fond du Lac Lutheran Home for the past 7 ½ years, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on April 8, 2014, and is undoubtedly already dancing with the angels. Muriel was born on February 13, 1927, in Antigo, WI, the only child of Earnest and Bessie (Barrick) Fuszard. The family lived in Antigo until her father was transferred to Fond du Lac with the Chicago Northwestern Railroad in 1940.At that time, Muriel entered the Fond du Lac school system and graduated from Fond du Lac Senior High School with the class of 1945. On June 7, 1947, Muriel married Walter “Rich” Eckert, Jr. in Fond du Lac. Although they later divorced, they remained friends and worked together for the good of their children. She always put her children’s needs (and wants) before her own. She was the Mom that all the neighborhood kids loved to spend time with. On May 24, 1969, she married James L. Pino of Fond du Lac. He preceded her in death on March 6, 1997. Prior to her eyesight deteriorating, she loved to read books and play piano. Her children would tease her and say that she read more than half of the books at the Fond du Lac Public Library. As children, we used to spend hours at the library so Mom could get her book “fix”. For about five years, in the late 1960’s, she was the librarian at Franklin Grade School. Her one regret in life was that she never went to college to pursue her dream of becoming a librarian. She always said she didn’t want to place that financial burden on her parents. Her other love was working on her family genealogy. Once retired, many a vacation was spent tracking down dead relatives. Her favorite discovery was that one of her second great-grandfathers was a French general that served in Napoleon’s army. Muriel had been a member of First Baptist Church in Fond du Lac for close to 75 years. She was a very active member and always made sure that her children went to church, even if a babysitting job kept them out late. Thank you, Mom, for taking your most important job seriously and sharing your faith with us and teaching us about Jesus and His love. Her memory will be cherished by her two daughters: Sonia (Wayne) Johnston of Ripon and Lynne Kottke (fiancé Roger Belling) of Fond du Lac; along with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: Melissa (Tyler) Parra and sons, Kyle and Keegan; Evan Kottke (fiancee Becca Diefenbacher) and son Jackson; Vanessa (Miguel) Hernandez and daughter Naomi; and Brayden Kottke. In addition, her step-son and daughter-in-law, David (Barbara) Pino of Kimberling City, MO, and their children and grandchildren, Dany (Sandy) Pino and daughters Cassidy and Amber; and Tammy Pino, her former husband, Rich Eckert, and her life-long friend, Ruth Long Olson, of Antigo, WI. Friends may call on Wednesday, April 16, 2014 from 2- 4 p.m. at First Baptist Church, 721 E Scott St, Fond du Lac. A celebration of her life will take place at 4:00 p.m. at the church with Rev. Gary Zacharias officiating. Interment will follow at Estabrooks Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Agnesian Hospice, Alzheimer’s Association, First Baptist Church or the Fond du Lac Lutheran Home. The family wishes to thank the staff at the Fond du Lac Lutheran Home, Dr. Russell Fredrickson, and Agnesian Hospice for the excellent care given to Muriel.

Muriel Kay Pino

February 13, 1927 - April 16, 2014