Mary Louise Bardon, 96
Mary Louise Bardon, 96, passed away on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in Kalispell.
Mary Louise’s long life was marked by an unquenchable intellectual curiosity. Her early life in western North Dakota sparked an intense interest in the cultures of Native Peoples. She used her first college degree to help others in a Duluth, Minnesota, nonprofit. After her own children learned to read, she earned a second degree in elementary education in order to teach other children to read. She taught kindergarten and first grade for seventeen years in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Upon moving to Arizona in 1981, Mary Louise became a docent at the Heard Museum of Native American Art and Culture in Phoenix.
Mary Louise graduated from Williston High School in Williston, North Dakota. She received a bachelor’s degree in social work from The College of St. Scholastica in Duluth. She met her husband of 61 years, Dick, while in college. They married in 1952 and embarked on a lifetime of adventures in El Paso, Texas; Fairfield, California; Coffeyville, Kansas; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Scottsdale, Arizona. In 2019 she moved to Kalispell to be close to her daughter and son-in-law.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Bardon, Jr.; her parents, John and Bess Dolan; her brother, James Dolan; and her sister, Patricia Jaeger.
She is survived by her son, Richard Bardon (Leslie Jefferis) of San Antonio, Texas; son, Peter Bardon (Denise) of Phoenix, Arizona; and daughter, Julia Sunde (Martin) of Lakeside. She is also survived by five grandchildren, Richard Bardon (Sarah) of Dallas, Texas; Jane Bardon Sunde of Menlo Park, California; Molly Gerdes (Jon) of Phoenix, Arizona; David Sunde (Brittany) of Houston, Texas; and Alex Bardon of Phoenix, Arizona. She was continually delighted by two great-grandchildren, Evelyn Louise Gerdes and Jude Edward Bardon.
Funeral arrangements have been made through the Buffalo Hills Funeral Home. A celebration of life reception for family and friends will be held both virtually and in person at the Terrace of Buffalo Hill Chapel, 40 Claremont St., in Kalispell at 3 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27. For those who want to participate virtually, please email marty.sunde@gmail.com and you will receive an invitation via email. A second celebration of life will be held in early 2025 in Phoenix. For details on the Phoenix services please email pbardon4777@gmail.com
Mary Louise will be laid to rest next to her late husband Richard Bardon, Jr. in Arizona. Our entire family is grateful for the wonderful care provided by the staff at Immanuel Living at Buffalo Hill and the compassionate attention from caregivers at Logan Health Hospice. Friends are encouraged to visit the website www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolences for the family.