Mary B. Brannstrom, age 33, passed away January 16, 2020. She was born July 1, 1986 in Winfield, Illinois to Brad & Paula Brashear.

How can we ever capture Mary in a single paragraph?  Mary will always be remembered as a beautiful, vibrant spirit with contagious, resounding laughter that filled any space she was in.  She loved hanging around with friends and family, and her quick-witted humor would undoubtedly bring the whole group to tears with laughter.  Mary was born determined, with her mind already made up about how she wanted to live life, unconstrained by convention, and she knew well and followed her own compass.  A lifelong lover of music, Mary always had a custom soundtrack playing and attended many live music performances.  Her knowledge of Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe would put any trivia game competitors to shame.

Mary possessed a genuine desire to nurture youth and help them thrive in life that extended beyond the classroom, and she was always the first to step up to support anyone in need.

As Mary grew and experienced life, she discovered an insatiable desire for travel, adventure, exploration, and discovery.  All of her excursions were centered around outdoor adventures, such as kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, biking, and fishing, in beautiful, wild places.  One could always find Mary planning the next adventure ahead of the one she already had in the works.  Mary found her kindred soul in David and was married on January 3, 2015 at one of her favorite places on Earth: Door County, WI.  He balanced her out perfectly, provided safe harbor during the stormy seas of life, shared equally in her zest for adventure, introduced her to the joys of being a foodie, and will love her devotedly for all of his days.  Her other true loves were Marley, Hank, and Kyna - their sweet dogs. She graduated from St. Petronille elementary school in 2000.  Mary was a graduate from Wheaton North High School (2004) and Illinois State University (2008), with a B.S. in Education.  She was most recently teaching first grade at Founders Elementary School in Dekalb, IL.  Always remember her well, with love, and in your hearts.

She is survived by her husband, David Brannstrom; her parents Brad & Paula Brashear; her sisters: Katie (Jeff) Koch & Lisa (Sean) Kluesner and their son, Quinn; her maternal grandmother Elizabeth Arseneau; and her paternal grandparents Helen & Robert Farrell. Mary is also survived by her mother and father-in-law David & Donna Brannstrom; her sister-in-laws: Kirsten Brannstrom & Kara (Byron) Atkinson and their son, Asher.

Memorial gifts may be directed to one of the following charities the represent Mary's loves in life:

National Park Foundation

Tails Humane Society

American Stroke Association

Please find a formal invitation to Mary's Celebration of Life by clicking here.