Accomplished artist, teacher, mother and grandmother, Antoinette “Toni” (Wacht) Stevens, most recently living at Madonna Summit in Byron, Minnesota, passed away on Sunday, September 25, 2022. Our courageous mother and grandmother was an inspiration to all who knew her. After her retirement from teaching, Toni was a prolific watercolor painter, winning many awards, and she enjoyed audiobooks, cross stitch, photography, classical music, playing Scrabble, and spending time with her family and friends.
Toni was born on January 23, 1926, in Detroit, Michigan, to parents Andrew and Mary (Podgorska) Wacht. She grew up in Detroit and obtained her undergraduate degree from Syracuse University, in New York, where she was an art major. Toni earned a Masters Degree in Teaching at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She taught in Michigan public schools for many years. Toni married her beloved William on August 12, 1950, in Detroit, and they raised two sons. Toni relocated to Rochester, Minnesota, in 2006, a few years after Bill’s death.
Toni is survived by her sons and their wives, Rick and Grace Stevens of Rochester, Minnesota, and Greg and Elizabethanne Stevens of Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as her three grandchildren, Andrew, Dan, and Maria, two nieces and three nephews. Toni was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one brother, one sister, and one niece.
A Funeral Mass will take place at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 1, 2022 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church (5455 50th Ave NW, Rochester, MN. 55901) with Father Tom Loomis officiating. Visitation will be from 4:00-6:00 pm, Friday, September 30, 2022 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes (5421 Royal Pl. NW, Rochester, MN. 55901), as well as one hour prior to the service at the church.
Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes is honored to be serving the Stevens family. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com.