Maria Santa Staiano was born on January 14, 1938, in Queens New York, she was born into eternal life on Sunday April 9 ^th, 2023, in Milwaukee Wisconsin.

Maria was preceded in death by her parents, Vincent Staiano and Anna Maria Staiano (Aurinno), her older sister Teresa Noonan of Levittown New York, and her brother Anthony Staiano of Pueblo Colorado.

Maria is survived by her daughters Kelly Jean Mcintosh of Denver Colorado and Dawn Marie Metz of Wauwatosa Wisconsin, her son Scott McIntosh of Wauwatosa Wisconsin and Anna McIntosh of Granby Colorado, the awkward "between the generations" granddaughter. Maria is also survived by five wonderful nieces and a rather large pile of fantastic grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Maria was proud of her many accomplishments: she earned a BS from the University of Wisconsin Madison, opened two independent design studios, held an elected office, and won several awards for her work.

She was an innovative designer merging aesthetics and ergonomics at a time when those two outcomes were thought to be mostly mutually exclusive, she also had an excellent eye for color, Prior to her retirement she worked towards and advocated for opportunities for women to follow their dreams and achieve their potential. Maria was keenly politically aware and seldom backed away from spirited debate. She also loved sports, mainly basketball and football, and followed teams on both the collegiate and professional levels.

Maria was a lover of art and a talented artist using a variety of individual and mixed media in her work. She loved dogs, probably more than she cared for most people, and for a time bred Jack Russel terriers.

This writer would be remis if her love for, and pride in her Italian heritage went unmentioned. She loved making and eating Italian food, and cherished the times spent with her siblings, cousins, nieces, and children, eating, and drinking wine and telling stories.

It was my observation, however, that the most significant and overarching quality of Maria's life was her tenacity; she endured significant loss, profound betrayal, and sometimes seemingly endless disappointments. Maria survived 2 different and difficult bouts of cancer, several serious medical diagnoses, accidents, injuries, and setbacks. She may or may not admit to countless mistakes along that way, usually with the best of intentions, and through all the trials, mishaps, missteps, and difficulty she never gave up. She was fondly referred to by her family as, "Mighty Mouse."

Maria's Memorial service will be held on June 15 ^th , 2023, at 3:00 PM, at Redeemer Lutheran Church located at 631 N. 19 ^th Street, Milwaukee Wisconsin. The service will be followed by a Memorial Picnic and celebration of her life at Greenfield Park in West Allis Wisconsin, Picnic area 3A.

In lieu of flowers please make a memorial contribution to the Fearless and Faithful Campaign through Redeemer Lutheran Church, building a much-needed community mental health center in one of Milwaukee's under resourced neighborhoods (www.redeemermilwaukee,org).