Mary Ann (Szklarski) Deschene

Mary Ann Deschene, 85, of Argyle, MN, died in her home on Monday, June 10, 2024.

Mary Ann Szklarski was born on July 14, 1938 in Stephen, MN. She was raised on the family homestead in Augsburg Township, and graduated from Stephen High School at the age of 16- a fact of which she was very proud. After a brief stay in Minneapolis, Mary Ann came home and waitressed at the Wagon Wheel Cafe. It was there she met Joseph Deschene, who cheekily left her a $5 tip ($54 today) after ordering a malt. The two were married in Mary Ann's home church, Our Lady of the Assumption in Florian, MN. They started their married life together in her in-laws' basement apartment and later moved to a new house on the Deschene Farm in 1964. Mary Ann and Joe would call this home for the rest of their lives.

As a farm wife, Mary Ann worked in the fields with her husband, in addition to taking care of their house and growing family. And if this wasn't enough, she made and decorated hundreds of cakes for weddings and graduations, chaired the St. Rose of Lima Bazaar for four decades, and cooked at the Farmer Dell for 25 years. She was an excellent cook (by feel) and baker (by memory) and enjoyed preparing seasonal foods like processing deer during hunting season, making lefse, and cooking cranberries. She had a standing family supper on Wednesday evenings where she shared her recipes with those she loved. If you called her on the phone to ask about one though, she was liable to leave out a step or ingredient to make sure you called back! Fiercely independent, Mary Ann lived at home until the end, even captaining her zero-turn mower without any help (except to get on and off) just days before her passing.

She is deeply loved and will be deeply missed.

Mary Ann is survived by her children, Debbie (Larry) Sabol, Dave (Ronda), Tim (Jodie), Jerry (Ruann), and Tony (Melissa) Deschene; sixteen grandchildren, Amanda (Mark) Wimpfheimer, Michael Sabol, Rio McGarrah, Adam, Josh (Kadee) Rieland, Ashley (Alex) Lawson, Ryan Deschene, Aaron (Liz) Deschene, Chris (Trina) Deschene, Brenna (Aaron) Olson, Hannah (Hayden) Sczepanski, Shayla Miller, Evan Deschene, Alec (Alyssa) Deschene, Madison (Braden) Majer, and Josephine Deschene; nineteen great-grandchildren, Kadence, Landon, Naomi, Adalynn, Zoey, Jenna, Avery, Emily, Hailey, Charlie, Olivia, Arthur, Evelyn, Sutton, three babies on-the-way, Beckham, and Stella; sisters-in-law, Edwardine Szklarski and Theresa “Teri” White; and brother-in-law, Richard (Lorraine) Deschene.

In addition to her husband, Joseph, who died on February 26, 2020, Mary Ann was preceded in death by each of her siblings, Frank (Dorothy), Br. Anthony OMI, Chester (Virginia), John Szklarski, and Christine (Tom) Gerszewski.
 

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred and may be made to St. Rose Catholic Church - Bazaar Fund.

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: Friday, June 14, 2024, at 10:00 AM, in St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Argyle, MN.
VISITATION: Thursday evening, June 13, 2024, from 5:30 PM, with a Rosary at 6:15 PM, Prayer Service at 6:30 PM, in St. Rose Church, Argyle and one hour before services at the church on Friday.
INTERMENT: St. Rose Cemetery, Argyle, MN.

To watch a video of Mary Ann's Mass of Christian Burial, please click the link below:

Mary Ann Deschene Mass of Christian Burial