Mary Teich, of Shakopee, passed away on May 25, 2018 at the age of 57. A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, June 3, 2018 at 4:00 PM with a gathering time from 1:00 – 4:00 PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation (833 S. Marschall Road) in Shakopee. Father Frank Wampach will preside and Mary’s godsons, Ryan Link and Matthew Glowacky, will act as urn bearers. There will be a private family burial following the service.
On February 15, 1961, Cletus and Helen Link welcomed their beautiful daughter, Mary Jo, into their family. She was the third of six children, and loved growing up in Shakopee with her siblings, Chris, Pete, Julie, John and Pat. As a girl Mary enjoyed dancing, figure skating and downhill skiing. Mary was very headstrong even as a girl. No one could tell her what to do or how to do it.
This strong determination also made Mary and extremely hard worker. As a teenager, Mary worked as a nanny and later got a job at Wampach’s. She loved working in the restaurant industry as she was a wonderful cook. Later in life, Mary was able to live out one of her biggest dreams when she opened her own restaurant, Lunch Link . She served soups, salads and sandwiches. But over the years, Mary was most famous for her Sloppy Joes, Beef Tenderloin and Beef Stew.
As a young woman, Mary met the love of her life at Richard’s Pub. She and David hit it off immediately and they began dating. Mary and David exchanged wedding vows on November 1, 1985 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Shakopee. Years later, their marriage was blessed with a daughter. Mary had always loved children and enjoyed spending time with her nieces and nephews. Having Chelsea was the best thing Mary did in her life, and she was so happy to be a mom.
As a family, Mary, David & Chelsea enjoyed family trips to Duluth and other small towns along the way. No matter which town the stopped in, Mary knew where the best bakery was, and she always tasted the peanut brittle. They spent many Saturdays at the Mall of America shopping and exploring Camp Snoopy. Sundays were also a family day dedicated to boating on Lake Minnetonka which frequently included lunch at Maynard’s or Lord Fletcher’s.
Tragedy struck the Teich family when David passed away suddenly. This was as very difficult time for Mary, but she persevered. She was a strong woman and set a great example for her daughter. Mary’s independence served her well during this time. She continued working outside the home. Throughout her life she had jobs with Gelco, DMX Music, Nortech and Lunds & Byerly’s Wine & Spirits Shop.
Although Mary was fiercely independent her whole life, she also cared deeply for her family and friends. Everyone knew they could always come to Mary with a problem, and that she would help them solve it.
About two years ago, Mary was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. She was a true fighter and doubled or tripled any timeline the doctors gave her. During the past two months her daughter and son-in-law moved in with her to provide round the clock care. Mary made sure they did everything just right. Mary spent the last Sunday of her life surrounded by family. They came together to be with Mary and prayed as a family.
Mary will be remembered always by her daughter, Chelsea (Anthony) Schmit; mother, Helen Link; siblings, Chris Johnson, Pete (Jean) Link, Julie (Brian) Welch, John (Theresea) Link, Pat (Nancy) Link; other loving relatives and friends. Mary was greeted in Heaven by her husband, David Teich; father, Cletus Link.
