Mary Catherine Wilwerding was born on Sept. 20, 1938, in Dunlap, one of seven daughters to Phillip and Barbara (Wettengel) Shields. She was baptized and later confirmed her faith at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Dunlap. She graduated from St. Patrick Catholic School before receiving her degree from Barne's School of Beauty in Council Bluffs.
On June 23, 1958, Mary was united in marriage to Ray Wilwerding at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Dunlap. They would share close to 60 years together living in or near Earling with much of this time spent on the farm they moved to in 1966. Together they raised eight children. She could be found sewing, baking, volunteering for numerous church functions and keeping books (she was great with numbers) for the farm, or Ray's Auto Body, but mostly you could find her at the piano.
Her love of music was evident in many ways. Beginning at the age of 12, she regularly played for weekend masses at St. Patrick and later St Joseph but also played numerous local weddings and funerals in addition to sing-alongs at the Little Flower Haven. Her proudest musical accomplishment however was establishing a children's choir at St Joseph's in the early 1990’s. She especially loved their Christmas Eve pre-mass concerts.
Mary cherished her friends and family and loved spending time with them. She enjoyed years of summer trips to Okoboji and later family trips to numerous locations. Bunco with the ladies was a day she looked forward to each month. Her quick wit and often unexpected sense of humor will be missed by many.
Mary passed away on July 7, 2024, at Parsons House in Omaha, having attained the age of 85 years, nine months and 17 days. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Ray in 2018; infant son, Gerard; and six sisters: Loretta Voss, Charlotte Assmann, Barbara Stracke, Joanne Graeve, Genevieve Moore and Phyllis Hansen.
She is survived by eight children: Claire Lee of Omaha, Neb., Voni (Mark) Andrews of Council Bluffs, Kayleen Wilwerding, Shari (Lee) Grimes, Dave Wilwerding (Nia Mollak) all of Omaha, Neb., Susie (Jeff) Fah of Earling, Doug (Karen) Wilwerding of Omaha, Neb., and Christine (Shane) Heintz of Nevada; 24 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.
Mass of Christian Burial was held Friday, July 19, 2024, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Earling, with Fr. Urey Patrick Mark serving as Celebrant of the Mass. Ava Freund and Suzy Kenkel served as mass servers, Natalie Madsen and Paul Lee served as lectors, Luke Wilwerding, Mark Heintz and Ryan Grimes served as gift bearers and Ann Langenfeld served as Eucharistic Minister. Serving as musicians were Patti Bogler, John Rosman, Colin Lee and the St. Joseph Choir. Music selections included: "The Easter Song," "Shepherd Me, O God," "One Bread, One Body," "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman," "Amazing Grace," "Song of Farewell," and "Country Roads" by John Denver. Serving as pallbearers were Mary's grandchildren. Burial was held in the St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Earling. Following burial, the family invited everyone to the St. Joseph Parish Center for a time of fellowship and lunch. Services were entrusted to the Heartland Funeral Home in Harlan.
