Mary L. (Schneider) Bares joined the angels on Sunday, October 25, 2020, after passing away peacefully in her sleep. She spent her last day surrounded by all of the "beautiful family" she and her husband, Chuck, made - celebrating her youngest grandchild's first birthday and walking around the land where they had just built a house in the Town of New Holstein. Mary was born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, to David and Bernice Schneider on February 4, 1953. She married Charles (Chuck) Bares on December 28, 1974, who she met singing in a folk group at a local parish. They lived in Marion, Wisconsin briefly before establishing their long-term home in Elkhart Lake. There, they raised their four boys, Eliot, Nathan, Aaron and Colin, who she devoted her life to. After teaching music for a year at a Catholic school in Fond du Lac, she spent 17 years sharing her passion for music and developing young minds as the music teacher and Gifted & Talented teacher for Elkhart Lake-Glenbeulah schools. She inspired a love of learning and the arts within countless children that has and will continue to influence each of their lives. After retirement, she joyfully filled her time babysitting for her grandkids every week - building forts, making art, reading books and imagining and creating anything that sounded fun for them. Her creativity, curiosity, smile, open-mind and open-heart will continue to live on through them for generations to come. She is survived by her husband, Chuck, children, Eliot (girlfriend, Catherine), Nathan (Kristi), Aaron and Colin (girlfriend, Christina), grandchildren Dakota (Aaron), Aurora (Aaron), Grace (Nathan), Grant (Nathan) and Gavin (Nathan), siblings John Schneider (Jay), Chuck (Ellen) Schneider, Ruth (Bill) Olig and Bill Schneider. She is now reunited with both of her parents and her father-in-law & mother-in-law, Edwin & Betty Bares. Mary will live-on through all of us whenever we live life to its fullest, prioritize what we love, are kind to ourselves and others, learn a poem, sing a song or add to the beauty of nature, and when we eat pizza. If motivated to donate in her name, please do so to the Alzheimer's Association - a cause very dear to her. Family and friends may visit with Mary's family at the Sippel Funeral Home, 2618 Altona Avenue, New Holstein, Wisconsin 53061 on Sunday, November 1, 2020 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. A private service will be held for immediate family and invited guests afterward. The service, which will start at 4:30 p.m., will also be live-streamed on Zoom. A link to the live-stream will be available at www.sippelfuneralhome.net. A full celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date. If you would like to be kept updated on the celebration of life plans or if you want to communicate with or share stories of Mary with the family, please email CelebrateMaryBares@gmail.com. For further details, please contact the Sippel Funeral Home in New Holstein (920) 898-4300 or visit www.sippelfuneralhome.net.