Mary J. Gentle, 86

Mary Janice Gentle, age 86, of Austin, Minnesota, passed away on Thursday, December 5, 2024. Mary was born to Vivian and Joseph Gentle in West Concord, MN, on March 11, 1938. She was the second in a family of four children, with older brother, Joseph, and younger siblings, Margaret and Michael. The family moved to Austin in 1939, where Mary started kindergarten at Shaw School, eventually graduating class of 1956 from St. Augustine High.

Mary had a talent for numbers and found a career in banking that ultimately led her to own a business as a bookkeeper. Fiercely independent, when she was a young lady, Mary traveled to exotic places during a time when it was uncommon for women to do so. Her passions, however, were rooted in handmade dolls, genealogy, and quilting. Mary prided herself on being able to grow and cook a good eggplant. Although Mary never had children, she loved her niece, Elizabeth, and nephews, Christian, Nicholas, and Greg. Her great nieces, Evelyn, Lucy, Audrey, Elsa, and Ingrid, held her heart. Many summer breaks had Mary taking these young ladies to the Spam Museum, or the Mower County Fair to eat mini-donuts and see award-winning quilts…some of which she sewed!

Her favorite color was purple. She loved to eat popcorn in bed and watch Indiana Jones movies. She couldn’t cook a turkey dinner to save her life. Mary made dolls and teddy bears; her favorite was a polar bear named Mancuso. She insisted that all the ornaments on her Christmas tree be handmade. Mary was a beautiful calligrapher. She taught herself to play an incredibly out of tune piano in her living room, not well, but for the enjoyment of the pursuit. She felt a connection to her ancestors and worked diligently to ensure that her family knew where they came from, writing family histories for both sides of her family. She spent many joyful hours in a community of women quilters with the Dorcas Group, the First Congregational quilting group; regaling tales of how in her early eighties, she was one of the youngest in the group. She took photos of all Quilts of Valor gifts she made over the years, a task she did with pride.

A celebration of life service will be held at a later date, and interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Worlein-Hoff Funeral Homes are assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com.