Elizabeth "Liz" R. Bongard, age 92, of Prairie du Sac, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 26, 2025.  If you knew Liz, you loved her. Probably.  Spunky, stubborn, sassy, and supremely loved, she had a big personality and was the life of the party—unless she had to leave early to go home and read her daily newspaper.

Liz was one of a kind. She was quick to laugh and found joy in just about everything. She was a gifted cook, a gracious host, and a loud-and-loving whirlwind in so many lives. She knew everyone, and everyone knew her. She'd lived in the Sauk Prairie area since she was a teen, so she was a walking historical society.

She was born Elizabeth Rose Schlapbach on May 16, 1933, to Adolf and Bertha (Stocker) Schlapbach, who immigrated to the United States from Switzerland in 1923. She was the youngest of five siblings—Adolph, Ann, Hans, and Fritz—a bright light for the family after the loss of her infant older sister, Margaret.

She married Vic Bongard, the love of her life, on March 1, 1954. A year later, they moved into the house Vic built next to the Lake Wisconsin Country Club. There, they raised four children, David, Margaret (Peggy), Barbara, and Phillip, and Liz turned being neighborly into an extreme sport. The golf course was the perfect location for her—it provided unending streams of friends and neighbors, all waving or stopping to chat or grab a drink and a laugh as they passed by on the upper nine.

She was a one-woman social committee, visiting friends in the nursing home and hospital, church members who could no longer attend, and anyone who needed a friend. And people poured that love back into her. Visitors flooded her home. She was always ready to serve a drink and spend the afternoon laughing. But heaven help you if you tried to stay past Jeopardy!-o'clock—even though she was recording it, she liked to watch it on time!

Liz was an avid reader and crossword-puzzle-doer, a crafty quilter, and a fan of polka music. She loyally rooted for Wisconsin sports (except for that regrettable phase when she cheered on da Bears—which we're all still trying to forget), and could make a mean martini. Few things made her happier than getting cards in the mail—especially humorous and inappropriate ones. She saved a basket of her favorites to share with everyone who stopped by. Can't you just picture her now, slapping her knees and throwing her head back in laughter?

And who could miss that she was Swiss? From placards and flags outside and inside her home to the Swiss cross on her clothes or her bratzeli recipe, she was proud of her heritage.

Liz cherished being part of the Sauk Prairie community, and she served it through decades of work and volunteering: Lake Wisconsin Country Club, Ganser's Five and Dime, Fiskars, Décor and More, First United Church of Christ, the Sauk Prairie hospital, and more. She was a longtime member of the Sauk City First United Church of Christ. Among numerous other positions, she served as the first woman president on the church's consistory board.

She lived life her own way. She decided when to downsize and move into Pine Glen Senior Apartments (in 2018), when to hand over her car keys (just a year ago), and, eventually, when it was her time to go. It wasn't dramatic. It was just Liz—decisive, practical, and ready.

Because what she wanted more than anything was to be with her beloved Vic again. So while we'll miss her deeply, it's easier to smile knowing she's exactly where she's longed to be since he passed away in May 1999—back in his arms and talking nonstop while he just smiles.

She took so much pride in her family: children David (Sherry), Peggy (Leon) Ganser, Barb (Gary) Brock, and Phil; grandchildren Trina (Ray) Parman, Lauren (Jonathan Schwarz), Melissa (Jacob) Brickl, Tyler (Shawna), and Alana; great-grandchildren Audrey, Easton, Blake, Izabel, and Corbin; sisters in-law, Fran Thompson and Virginia Bongard and brothers in-law, Bud and Carol Bongard and Leon Breunig; nieces and nephews, extended family, and a circle friends who might as well be family—because Liz made them feel that way.

In addition to her parents and husband, Vic; she was preceded in death by all of her siblings, Adolph, Ann, Hans, Fritz and infant sister Margaret.

Special thanks to Kelly and the staff at the Pine Glen Apartments for their love and care over the past seven years, and to the staff at Sauk Prairie Hospital, the staff at Maplewood, and Agrace for making her final days comfortable.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make memorials to First United Church of Christ, The George Culver Library, or Sauk Prairie Healthcare. And, whenever you can, take the chance to pass on Liz's gift of gab, kindness, and laughter to someone who needs it.

A Memorial Service for Liz will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, June 2, 2025 at the First United Church of Christ, 504 Washington Ave, Sauk City.  A visitation will be held from 9:00 am until the time of service.  In honor of Liz's favorite color, please wear your favorite red.  A luncheon will follow at the Lake Wisconsin Country Club, N1076 Golf Rd., Prairie du Sac.  A livestream at the time of the service will be available on the church's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@firstunitedchurchofchrist-1207

Online condolences may be made at hooversonfuneralhomes.com