Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Seaforth with burial in the church cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday at the church, and will continue one hour prior to the services on Thursday. Online condolences may be sent at www.redwoodvalleyfuneralhome.com.  The Redwood Valley Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.

Mary Kay was born March 20, 1953 in Redwood Falls, MN to Joseph & Maxine (Castle) Pistulka.  She attended a one room grade school in Seaforth, and was the only child in her grade.  In 1971, Mary Kay graduated from Wabasso High School.  She was also a University of Minnesota graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.  After college, she taught one year at Walnut Grove.  In 1976 Mary Kay began her career at Wabasso High School teaching English.  She was also very involved in Theatre, Drama and Speech where she served as director and coach.  A few of her favorite productions were “Into the Woods”, “Sunday in the Park with George” & “Noises Off”.

Mary Kay was very proud of her role as the “fun aunt”.   She greatly enjoyed spending time with her nieces and nephew.  It would be totally within character to find her smack dab in the middle of water balloon fights, watermelon seed spitting contests and whacky wheelborrow rides.  She was passionate about animals, especially those who crossed her path.  She fed the birds and even the occasional pesky squirrel.  She was a tireless advocate for the environment.  Beware the person who mixed their platics with paper. A look of stern reproach would come your way.  She had a flourish for interior decorating and it was exemplified in every nook and cranny of her home.   She loved listening to musical soundtracks of movies, symphony scores, and classical music.  This prompted one of her students to ask; “Do you ever listen to music that actually has words in it”?  Reading was to Mary Kay like breathing was to others.  Nothing gave her more joy than a book in her lap and cats sleeping comfortably nearby.

Mary Kay is survived by her mother Maxine Pistulka; siblings: Robbie Schubert of Ames, IA, Roxanne (Dr. Jeff) Bittner of Redwood Falls, Brian (Marge) Pistulka of Coral Springs, FL, Judy (Mike) Kaplan of Middletown, CT, Stephanie (Daryl) Fladhammer of Wabasso, Valerie (Louis) Serrano of Dana Point, CA, Jolene (Donn) Fahey of Fairfax, & Bradley Pistulka of Redwood Falls; nieces and nephew: Stephanie Schubert, Elizabeth & Ally Fladhammer, Quinn Fahey, Melanie & Meredith Pistulka, Zoe Kaplan, Noel and Elsie Serrano; and many other relatives and friends.  She is preceded in death by her father Joseph E. Pistulka.