Obituary of Mary Elizabeth Krick

Mary Elizabeth Krick passed away on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at the age of 77. She was a resident of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Born September 11, 1947, in Grand Island, Nebraska, she was the cherished daughter of Jeanne (McCarthy) and C. Norman Gonderinger.

Mary Liz, as her siblings knew her, loved her hometown, O'Neill, Nebraska. O'Neill is known as the Irish capital of Nebraska and Mary was proud of her Irish heritage as part of the McCarthy clan. After graduating from Saint Mary's Parish school, she went on to do four years in Leavenworth, Kansas at Saint Mary college. She graduated with a bachelors in mathematics, and then moved to the Twin Cities to start graduate school at the University of Minnesota in the Physics Department, where she met her husband, Tom.

After the births of her daughters, Liz and Megan, Mary continued her academic career by studying computer science. Her daughters were blessed to see a strong role model for women in STEM and also with many computer punch cards, which make excellent toys. As the girls grew older, Mary transitioned from volunteer work to paid work in computers. While she often did general IT work, her speciality was databases. Mary worked at the Newman Center Parish and at Cretin-Derham Hall High School. She then returned to the University of Minnesota as a database specialist and grant manager.

Always curious and excited to learn new things, Mary pursued many hobbies through the years such as pottery, macrame, weaving, and bread baking. She was glad that she shared many years of yarn hobbies with Megan and her spouse, Z. Many of Mary's loved ones were gifted with the cotton dish cloths she knitted and "Gramma Mary Bread" was slathered in butter and happily devoured by her granddaughters on their visits.

Mary loved reading and books. She was a volunteer librarian at Saint Anthony Park Elementary school for many years, and valued getting to know the students there and sharing her love of books. One former student said that she was the rare adult who made a point of getting to know every kid and really making them feel seen. Mysteries were her favorite genre and a BBC mystery was the most common evening television she watched.

She became a proud Minnesotan and was active in the community. A member of P.E.O. Chapter K, she provided both tech support and levity to them. She was a former board member of Saint Anthony Park Area Seniors, where again her sense of humor and computer prowess were valued. Mary enjoyed admiring the work of others in the Saint Anthony Park Garden club and was always excited to chat with the neighbors. 

A fan of the Twins, and Joe Mauer in particular, she enjoyed watching the games on television with Tom. Mary was an original Trekkie and a superfan of the show Supernatural. She enjoyed puzzles of all sorts and particularly liked doing them with her granddaughters.  

Mary never met a stranger. Even a short elevator ride was a chance to make a new friend. Her friends and family meant the world to Mary and even though time may have passed she never forgot any of you.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Jeanne (McCarthy) and C. Norman Gonderinger, and by her sister-in-law, Gigi (Goblesh) Gonderinger.

Mary is survived by her husband, Thomas Paul Krick of Saint Paul, MN; her daughters Elizabeth (Liz) Prather with her husband John Prather and Megan Krick with her spouse Z Krick; granddaughters Mary Prather and Kathryn Prather; her siblings Sue Schoenfelder with her husband Craig, Chuck Gonderinger, and Bob Gonderinger with his wife Mary; brother-in-law Larry Krick with his wife Joan; sister-in-law Mary Lynne Selsor with her husband Bill Selsor; her nephews and nieces Chris (Jessica), Stephen (Cabrelle), Mark (Sara), and Matt (Molly), Danielle (Mike), Brittany (Kevin), Nick (Ann), Carli, Matthew (Joe), Jesse (Jack), EJ, William (Jennifer), Christine, Cathy (Ryan) McGuire, Paul (Lisa), Jim (Michelle), Julie (Derek), and Joe; and many dear friends.

A casual gathering for sharing memories and celebrating the one of a kind Mary Krick will be held Friday, November 8th, 2024 1:00 to 5:00 pm in the ground floor auditorium of the Saint Anthony Park Public Library (2245 Como Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55108 1-651-642-0411). Guests are encouraged to wear something with blue in memory of Mary's favorite color. All are welcome and the entrance is accessible.

Saturday, November 9th at 11:00 am there will be a funeral mass at the Church of Saint Cecilia (2357 Bayless Place, Saint Paul, MN, 55114 1-651-644-4502).  A visitation in the chapel will immediately precede at 10:00 am and a catered luncheon will follow the mass in the church community room. All are welcome and an accessible entrance is located at ground level to the right of the main steps. There is an elevator up to the chapel and down to the community room.

Memorial contributions may be made to Saint Anthony Park Area Seniors (2200 Hillside Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55108  1-651-642-9052 https://sapaseniors.org/donate) or the P.E.O. Foundation (P.E.O. Executive Office Treasurer 3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312  1-515-255-3153 https://www.peointernational.org/make-a-gift/ ).