(Nov. 25, 2009)
Mary Burns, 91, died Nov. 25 at the West Park Hospital Long Term Care Center in Cody.
Mary was born on the family homestead in Garland on Dec. 8, 1918, to Hank and Laura Meyers. She attended school in Garland through the eighth grade and graduated from Powell High School in 1937.
After graduating, she worked as a bookkeeper for an attorney in Powell. She married her high school sweetheart, Bobby Burns, in 1938. They spent time in Montana, and Bobby worked at the Red Star Camp on the North Fork, building bridges for several years.
After the war, they moved to the Heart Mountain Relocation Camp where they worked for the Bureau of Reclamation and Bobby learned the plumbing business. Mary was a homemaker, seamstress and stay-at-home mother who took care of their three daughters.
In 1948, they moved to Cody where Mary demonstrated and sold Necchi and Elna sewing machines, and Bobby worked for Schmidtberger and Reynolds Plumbing, where Mary also worked as the bookkeeper and office manager.
They were active in square dancing, archery, hunting artifacts, gardening, canning, fishing, hunting and camping. They spent time in their RV, going south every winter. Mary loved to cook and the whole family has treasured memories of the wonderful family dinners. At Christmas, the best presents always came from Grandma and Grandpa.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Bobby, in 2000; her parents; a baby sister, Helen; and her brothers, Francis “Bud” Meyers and Jack Meyers.
She is survived by her daughters Fern Bath (Randy) and Jeanne Russell (Butch) of Cody and Marilyn Burns of Lakewood, Colo.; grandchildren KaeRae Biagini (Jeff) of Los Alamos, N.M., Penny Parnell and Brian Parnell of Kalispell, Mont., Kelly Williamson of Kennewick, Wash., Rob Russell (Debbie) of Houston, Texas, Toni Murry (Glenn) of Durango, Colo., Julie Good (Mike) of Cody, Vicki Ricketts (Tom) of Los Alamos, Jeff Erickson (Beth) of Portland, Ore., and Gena Brygger (Mike) of Grand Junction, Colo.; sisters Katie Brown of Cody, Loretta Johannes and Clara Barber, both of Billings, and Ethel Heimer (Lloyd) of Garland; 17 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
Cremation has taken place, and at her request, no services are planned. Her remains will be interred at Crown Hill Cemetery at a later date. Ballard Funeral Home in Cody is handling arrangements.