Mary DePue

Mary DePue

93, of Libby

Longtime Libby resident Mary Louise DePue, 93, died Sun. April 17 in Kalispell, surrounded by loving family. A resident of Treasure Manor apartments for more than 13 years (2002 to 2015), Mary moved to Libby from the Flathead Valley upon her retirement at age 80, and enjoyed the quiet pace of life, the friendly people and the beautiful scenery of the Libby area. Her apartment at Treasure Manor faced Fireman’s Park, and when not spending time with her children or watching Mariners games or home improvement shows on television, she spent endless hours watching the goings-on in the park, and the wild turkeys, rabbits, birds and deer that passed by her window.

Mary was born in Kalamazoo, Mich., in 1922, and moved west in 1952 with her husband, Don, and three oldest children Jerry, Mike and Jean. The family settled first in Whitefish, but later followed Don’s woods work to Lincoln and Missoula before returning in 1968 to Whitefish, this time with younger daughters Joanne and Toni, where Mary and Don worked side by side to establish DePue Excavating. A cancer diagnosis for Don in the early 1970s required Mary to join the workforce, first as a sales clerk at Village Square Gifts in Whitefish for employers Don and Lois Jensen, who graciously gave Mary her first job and subsequently became dear friends, and later, following the loss of husband Don to cancer in 1978, at retail stores in Kalispell, including the gift shop at Glacier International Airport and the Salvation Army thrift store.

In Libby, Mary looked forward to her  weekly hair appointment, in early years with Barb Hoeltzel and later years with Helen Tarbert, and her long visits with friends Cindy Wagner and Helen Dahl. Mary and her children appreciated greatly the kindness of apartment manager Debra Frey and all of the staff and residents at the Libby Care Center, where Mary lived from April to December 2015.

Mary is survived by sons Jerry (Marie) of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, and Mike (Diane) of Libby;  daughters Jean DePue Paschke (Dan) of Kalispell, Joanne of Seattle, Wash., and Toni, of Libby, as well as numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life for Mary will be held at Libby’s Riverfront Pavilion on Sunday, July 24, from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. All who knew her are welcome. A private interment at Glacier Memorial Cemetery on the date of her 76^th wedding anniversary will reunite Mary with husband Don, to whom she remained forever devoted.