M. Carolyn "Toni" Mach

Mabel Carolyn (Toni) Hansen Mach was born February 28th, 1931 in St Paul, MN, the daughter of Elmer T. and Mabel A. (Buss) Hansen. Her parents, certain they were having a boy, called the baby “Tony” throughout the pregnancy. When she was born, they couldn’t seem to call the baby anything else, and so Toni she would be all her life. In 1933, the family moved to a farm in Stacy, Minnesota. They decided to raise chickens and built a state-of-the-art chicken coop to house thousands of laying hens. The family got their first glimpse of little-dickens Toni when, while candling eggs one day, she dumped over the crates, earning her the nickname, “smash-em-egg-Toni.” She attended the Chisago City Consolidated School and Rush City High School. She was a very shy child and the story goes that her teacher told her mother, when I call upon Carolyn, she never answers. Her mother said, “She would never answer if you call her Carolyn, because she doesn’t know that’s her name.” Toni always was very sensitive to the pain of others. As a teenager, she worked for a local family helping to care for a woman suffering from arthritis. Later, she went to work in St Paul at Children’s Hospital, helping crippled children. She spent many of her days off with the children at the hospital, because she felt so sad that the children were in such pain. On November 18th, 1950, Toni was married at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in St Paul to Lawrence E. Mach. The couple moved in with his parents in Rush City and Larry left to go into the service. When he returned from the service, the couple was in a terrible auto accident. It was feared Toni would not survive, but after several days in a coma, she regained consciousness to the joy of her family and friends. Larry and Toni had two children; Pamela Marlene (Penny) and Richard Thomas (Ricky). Toni was a member of the Rush City Eagles and the Rush City VFW Post 6692 Auxiliary and worked for many years at the Co-op Oil Company and the Rush City Municipal Liquor Store. She always remembered everyone’s name and was “the glue” for her family--the one who stayed in touch with everyone far and near. She always was the first to offer to take in someone who needed help. Over the years she gave a home to her uncle, her brother-in-law and her grandchildren and was the primary caregiver for her elderly mother for many years. Toni died suddenly on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009. She is survived by her husband Larry; children: Penny (Greg) Wiener of Beroun, MN. and Ricky Mach of Rush City; five grandchildren: Amy Jo Wiener of San Francisco, Patty Skluzacek of Pine City, Heather Wiener Brooklyn, New York, Brian (Nikki) Wiener of Pine City, Anna Johnson Vargas, MN.; six great-grandchildren: Arielle Ladue, Allison Skluzacek, Emilie Skluzacek, Madeleine Wiener, Max Wiener and Kenna Johnson; two sisters: Bette (Roland) Allen of St. Paul, Joyce (Herb) Johnson of Ohio; one brother: Tom (Joyce) Hansen of Florida; as well as many nephews, nieces, cousins and dear friends. Rev. Laurie O’Shea will officiate at funeral services Saturday (5/9/2009) 2:00 p.m. @ the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rush City with a time of visitation Friday from 4-7 p.m. at the Olson Chapel in Rush City and one hour prior to the service at church. Toni Mach will be interred in the First Lutheran Cemetery of Rush City, MN.