Our Forever Beautiful Mother, Mary Helen (Russell) Wiebe
June 2, 2021
Mary Helen (Russell) Wiebe, A shining light, born, May, 15, 19 something something (Mom never ever told her age) ,died peacefully in her home with her family by her side on May 31, 2021. Mary was a lover of people, never met a stranger and collected friends everywhere she went.
She was raised in the Great state of Texas, a source of pride for our Mama. Mary would go to great lengths to say she was “not born anywhere other than Texas.” Skipping over the fact she actually was born in South Dakota but raised in the great state of Texas. Mary spent her Childhood in Burkburnette, Texas. Alta, her devoted mmother, encouraged Mary to join the Rainbowsto develop all the skills needed to be a well-rounded 1950s preteen. As a Rainbow, Mary helped her community and attended all the Rainbow functions which required a new dress for all the many dances. A lifelong fashionista was born! Mary’s High school years were active, sharing her father’s love of Basketball, she played with the HS team and played the flute in the marching band. Mary quickly started a family after High school, lucky for me and my siblings.
Like her mother, she wanted her children to be active too. Raising a family meant football teams, swim team meets, dance classes, plays, pageant competitions and a stint as cookie Mom. Not noticing it was the district cookie mom, we signed her up and the entire district’s cookies arrived at our house. Mom never complained, she carried on with that strong Rianbows ethics to help her community. Mom never said no when it came to her children or grandchildren.
Known as "Mimi “to her nine grandchildren. She loved them dearly and wanted to always have fun with them. Teaching them to play card games, pitch was her all-time favorite. She went parasailing with them, took them to theme parks, beach trips, made them custom costumes for Halloween and threw unforgettable parties for their birthdays. Always the doting grandmother, she wanted to be involved in their lives at every stage. Their loving Mimi was never short on advice and was plain speaking. If she liked a new girlfriend / boyfriend she let them know.
Somehow Mom managed to always work throughout her life. As her son says,” Mom never defined herself by work, it was never her career but a job, her family was her career.” She loved her family and instilled in her children strong values that have served us well.
Mom had an entrepreneurial spirit; she started a house cleaning business while raising her children that allowed her to work around her children’s schedules. Later Mary owned a dance supply store “The Dancing Shoe” in the 80's. Mom and her son in-law started a business “Picture This”. Nathan captured perfect pictures staged by Mom. Quite the duo, they became a regular fixture at regional Dog shows known for their work and their witty personalities. Mary transitioned into working in real estate and then in her later years she was an office manager in the dental world. Loving all her patients, she shared their stories with us regularly. She enjoyed seeing them year after year and would tell us about where they lived, traveled to and their funny experiences. First and foremost, Mom was a people person.
Mom was witty and never at a loss for words, perhaps because she devoured books. Novels, mysteries, biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs were her favorites. She loved to collect beautiful things including cooking ware even though she did not really like to cook. Collecting and creating beauty was one of Mom's talents. Her home was always inviting, smelled like flowers with crisp clean sheets and cozy warm bed for us to visit. The beds were complete with a large collection of pillows. The pillows were not for use but, we thought, were a morning memory test of pillow puzzle design. Always collecting, mom left behind an abundance of beautiful stuff.
Her daughters and son have no idea what to do with the beautiful collection. So, if you’re looking for beautiful and very clean furniture or Birds and Bees dishes, an impressively amassed collection…. Please wait the appropriate amount of time and get in touch.
Tomorrow will be fine.
She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.
A celebration of Mary’s life will be held at Noodles on Thursday, June 3 beginning at 1;30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers please make a doantion in Mary's name to Hope Hospice in Boita Springs, Fl Fl.https://hopehospice.org/donate/
Our beloved Mother was preceded in death by her parents, William Quentin Russell and Alta Marie (Hickman) Russell.
Survived by her Brother, William Russell and his wife Teresa Russell, their children Sara Frickenschmidt, Sara’s daughters Phoebe Farris and Nora Beth; Susan Russell and husband Jace, their daughter Leora. Her beloved children; son, Kris Russell Kerlin and his wife Christina Renee Kerlin, their children Joshua Daniel Kerlin with his wife Jessica Marie Kerlin and their child (Mimis great grandchild), Jadeyn Willow Kerlin, Stanley Russell Crain and Kaedin Alexander Kerlin. Mary’s daughter, Susan (Wiebe) Hicks, her son Booby Hicks his wife Samantha Hicks with his two sons Brian and Brody Hicks. Daughter,
Kellie Raye (Kerlin) Norrgard and her husband John Erikson Norrgard, with their children, Anika Marie Norrgard, Haley Russell Norrgard, Kelsey erikson Norrgard, John Quentin Norrgard. Daughter, Kara Denise (Wiebe) Carlson and her husband Nathan Paige Carlson with their son Nicholas Paige Carlson.
She was raised in the Great state of Texas, a source of pride for our Mama. Mary would go to great lengths to say she was “not born anywhere other than Texas.” Skipping over the fact she actually was born in South Dakota but raised in the great state of Texas. Mary spent her Childhood in Burkburnette, Texas. Alta, her devoted mmother, encouraged Mary to join the Rainbowsto develop all the skills needed to be a well-rounded 1950s preteen. As a Rainbow, Mary helped her community and attended all the Rainbow functions which required a new dress for all the many dances. A lifelong fashionista was born! Mary’s High school years were active, sharing her father’s love of Basketball, she played with the HS team and played the flute in the marching band. Mary quickly started a family after High school, lucky for me and my siblings.
Like her mother, she wanted her children to be active too. Raising a family meant football teams, swim team meets, dance classes, plays, pageant competitions and a stint as cookie Mom. Not noticing it was the district cookie mom, we signed her up and the entire district’s cookies arrived at our house. Mom never complained, she carried on with that strong Rianbows ethics to help her community. Mom never said no when it came to her children or grandchildren.
Known as "Mimi “to her nine grandchildren. She loved them dearly and wanted to always have fun with them. Teaching them to play card games, pitch was her all-time favorite. She went parasailing with them, took them to theme parks, beach trips, made them custom costumes for Halloween and threw unforgettable parties for their birthdays. Always the doting grandmother, she wanted to be involved in their lives at every stage. Their loving Mimi was never short on advice and was plain speaking. If she liked a new girlfriend / boyfriend she let them know.
Somehow Mom managed to always work throughout her life. As her son says,” Mom never defined herself by work, it was never her career but a job, her family was her career.” She loved her family and instilled in her children strong values that have served us well.
Mom had an entrepreneurial spirit; she started a house cleaning business while raising her children that allowed her to work around her children’s schedules. Later Mary owned a dance supply store “The Dancing Shoe” in the 80's. Mom and her son in-law started a business “Picture This”. Nathan captured perfect pictures staged by Mom. Quite the duo, they became a regular fixture at regional Dog shows known for their work and their witty personalities. Mary transitioned into working in real estate and then in her later years she was an office manager in the dental world. Loving all her patients, she shared their stories with us regularly. She enjoyed seeing them year after year and would tell us about where they lived, traveled to and their funny experiences. First and foremost, Mom was a people person.
Mom was witty and never at a loss for words, perhaps because she devoured books. Novels, mysteries, biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs were her favorites. She loved to collect beautiful things including cooking ware even though she did not really like to cook. Collecting and creating beauty was one of Mom's talents. Her home was always inviting, smelled like flowers with crisp clean sheets and cozy warm bed for us to visit. The beds were complete with a large collection of pillows. The pillows were not for use but, we thought, were a morning memory test of pillow puzzle design. Always collecting, mom left behind an abundance of beautiful stuff.
Her daughters and son have no idea what to do with the beautiful collection. So, if you’re looking for beautiful and very clean furniture or Birds and Bees dishes, an impressively amassed collection…. Please wait the appropriate amount of time and get in touch.
Tomorrow will be fine.
She will be dearly missed and forever in our hearts.
A celebration of Mary’s life will be held at Noodles on Thursday, June 3 beginning at 1;30 p.m.
In lieu of flowers please make a doantion in Mary's name to Hope Hospice in Boita Springs, Fl Fl.https://hopehospice.org/donate/
Our beloved Mother was preceded in death by her parents, William Quentin Russell and Alta Marie (Hickman) Russell.
Survived by her Brother, William Russell and his wife Teresa Russell, their children Sara Frickenschmidt, Sara’s daughters Phoebe Farris and Nora Beth; Susan Russell and husband Jace, their daughter Leora. Her beloved children; son, Kris Russell Kerlin and his wife Christina Renee Kerlin, their children Joshua Daniel Kerlin with his wife Jessica Marie Kerlin and their child (Mimis great grandchild), Jadeyn Willow Kerlin, Stanley Russell Crain and Kaedin Alexander Kerlin. Mary’s daughter, Susan (Wiebe) Hicks, her son Booby Hicks his wife Samantha Hicks with his two sons Brian and Brody Hicks. Daughter,
Kellie Raye (Kerlin) Norrgard and her husband John Erikson Norrgard, with their children, Anika Marie Norrgard, Haley Russell Norrgard, Kelsey erikson Norrgard, John Quentin Norrgard. Daughter, Kara Denise (Wiebe) Carlson and her husband Nathan Paige Carlson with their son Nicholas Paige Carlson.