Obituary - Mary Surean

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother and grandmother, Mary Surean, in Spokane, Washington, at the age of 90.

She passed away peacefully on Oct. 24, while in the wonderful hands of Hospice of Spokane. Mary was born on Dec. 1, 1923, in Bedford, England. She attended Goldington Road School in Bedford until she joined the Royal Air Force in 1941 and attained the rank of sergeant. She was proud of her service and her war stories are remembered fondly by her grandchildren.

She met Dan while he was stationed in England, and they married in 1945 at St. Joseph of the Holy Child Church. After the war, she moved to Havre where they had three children, Daniel, Gloria and Lisa. Mary was active in many community service groups including the Eagles, VFW, Rebekkah, Odd Fellows, Degree of Honor and American Legion organizations. In 1985 she was awarded The Senior Volunteer of the Year for the state of Montana by the governor. She was always busy volunteering, whether it was spending time reading with first-graders at Sunnyside Elementary School, calling bingo at the long-term care center, cleaning up at the senior center or working with candy stripers at Northern Montana Hospital.

Mary was always ready to lend a hand or bring some cookies to the many organizations she helped with. Mary loved animals and was never without a cat or a dog. She enjoyed ceramics, china painting and a variety of crafts. Mary was active in several churches in Havre, most notably, the Salvation Army Church, where she performed a variety of volunteer roles.

In 2006, Mary moved to Spokane and lived at Fairwood Retirement Village, where she made many friends and was socially active in the community. Health issues slowed her down in 2011 and she moved in with her daughter Lisa and her family.

Although she dearly loved her native country of England, one of her proudest moments was in 2010 when she became a U. S. citizen.

Mary is preceded in death by her parents, Henrietta and John; her husband of 57 years, Daniel; her son, Danny, and her sisters, Hazel and May and brother, Sam. She is survived by her daughters, Lisa (Bob) Cordier of Spokane, Washington, and Gloria (Dick) Campbell of Blaine, Minnesota. She leaves behind five grandchildren, Sarah and Katy of Minnesota, and Omare, Morgan and Daniel of Washington, and two great-grandchildren. Mary also leaves several nieces and one nephew in England and several nieces and nephews in the Northwest. Services will be held in Havre on a future date.