Mary Lou was born in Rochester, MN on September 12, 1952 to John Henry and Maxine Crowley McGovern at St. Mary's Hospital. She went to see Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior on January 6, 2016. On the same day, sixteen years ago, her sister Carrie passed away.
Mary could light up a room by just walking in. If you were her friend, you had a friend for life. She will dearly be missed by her family and friends.
She is survived by her siblings John, Sylvia, Elaine, Mike Linda, Joe and Beverly. Preceded in death by her parents and sister Carrie.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, January 9, 2016 at Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East Dimple Dell Road (10600 South) in Sandy. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the services.
Memories from Joe McGovern, brother
When I was 3 years old and Mary was 6 years old, Mary told me "Hey Joe, I made you a chocolate pie". It was really made of mud and water from the pig pen. We both got talked to by our mom…..me for having a muddy face and Mary for feeding me the mud pie.
Contributed by Elaine Ingalls, sister
Our sister, Mary Lou McGovern, was born on September 12, 1952 to John and Maxine (Crowley) McGovern. She was one of 9 siblings (John, Sylvia, Beverly, Carolyn, Elaine, Mary Lou, Joseph, Michael, and Linda.) She grew up on the family farm 4 miles north of Byron, Minnesota.
As a child we all spent time growing a garden, raising chickens and pigs, and picking on each other! We loved to play tag and of course it was usually the youngest that got to be "IT!" We also played a lot of hide and seek and loved to have our neighbors visit so we could play "Star Light/Moon Light/Hope to see a Ghost Tonight!" We also did a lot of tree climbing. It was exciting for us when our dad would allow us to ride the tractor with him, but he never allowed us girls to drive the tractor.
One of the highlights of our summers was getting together for July 4th at our aunt and uncles in Grand Meadow. Our mother came from a family of 12 so we were blessed with over 100 cousins and almost all of them made it back home for this celebration. We continue to have a family reunion every June in honor of our grandmother and when Mary Lou was able to make it home for the reunion she was very happy to be together with family.
Living on a farm we always grew up with cats and dogs and Mary Lou had a special fondness for her kitty cats. She enjoyed dressing them up and letting them eat the mud pies she would make with corn. She always enjoyed having cats around and as pets until she moved to Wentworth Assisted Living. It is my understanding that she really enjoyed having the therapy dog visit her at Wentworth.
The Hospice Chaplan (Rebecca Anderson) gave Mary Lou a stuffed dog for Christmas which brought her much comfort so this dog is joining her on the journey back home to Gods Kingdom.
Mary Lou graduated from Byron High School in 1970 and worked at a variety of secretarial type jobs through out her life. While Mary Lou struggled with being blind at an early age, diabetes, renal failure, and Bi-Polar disease, she never gave up hope for a brighter future.
Mary Lou's faith in God and her joining the Mormon Church have always been extremely important to her. She never gave up hope even as her diagnosis became more critical. Many of her best friends are from the Mormon Church and she always appreciated the visits from the church members.
Mary Lou did meet and marry Jeff Kempe whom she met through the Mormon Church. They were married in Salt lake City, but they also had a reception at the Mormon Church in Rochester, Minnesota. They were later divorced and she took her maiden name back.
Mary Lou also had a special fondness for Barry Manilow and his music. She was able to attend several of his concerts in her younger years. She loved his song "Mandy" and even named one of her cats after that song. This is why we chose to play some of his songs during her visitation. Mary Lou also enjoyed reading, watching ball room dancing and figure skating.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, John and Maxine McGovern, her sister, Carolyn McGovern, who passed away on the same day as Mary Lou in 2003, her niece Michelle Sweeney, and her nephew Jeff McGovern.
Mary Lou loved living in Utah because of the milder winters. This became her home and this is where she chose her eternal resting place to be. Rest in Peace, Mary Lou.
