Mary Ann Ihry
Mary Ann Ihry, 61, passed away peacefully on December 9, 2020 at Sanford Health in Fargo. She had lived at Good Sam in Fargo for the past 18 months.
Mary was born on January 30, 1959 to Adolph and Ardis (McCullough) Ihry. She was number seven of nine children growing up on the family farm in Hope, ND. Mary loved being on the farm, hanging with her brothers. She was witty, loved people and great food. Mary loved her family especially her nephews and nieces sharing pictures and sport clips with her friends. Mary still enjoyed time with her high school friends and considered them the “BEST”!
Mary graduated from Hope High School in 1977 and attended Don’s Beauty School in Fargo, ND. She quickly found work in Minot, ND where she lived for 37 years. Mary worked at Scissors Edge and eventually opened her own business, Mary Ann’s Hair Klinique. She was famously known for the ten dollar haircut. She retired in 2018 as her health was failing.
Mary married Rod Eshenko in 2005. She considered him her lifelong friend. Mary enjoyed her life in Minot leaving many wonderful friends. She was on many pool leagues and was known as a pool shark with a great eye for the game.
Mary had a rare gene mutation, so rare that she has been written up in the British Medical Journal that will go worldwide. She is one of two or three people in the world who had this mutation. She would be happy to know she had helped someone else with this. She fought hard in life with many illnesses and lived “Ihry Strong” every day.
She leaved behind siblings, Connie (Woody) Caspers, Fargo; Reed (Michelle Lemley) Ihry, Red Willow; “Neal” Buck Ihry, Hope; Lori (Tim) Powell, Hope; Keith (Brenda Faller) Ihry, Hope; sisters-in-law, Marilyn (Slater) Ihry, Hope; and Brenda (Knudson) Ihry, Fargo; and also nieces, nephews, and their children totaling 110 family members; and Mary’s dear friend, Rod Eshenko, Minot.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Ardis and Adolph Ihry; siblings (twins) Mary and Joseph; brothers, Gary and wife, Mary (Tretter), Wade, Dale and brother-in-law, Gary Tingum; including grandparents, many aunts, uncle and cousins. Rest in Peace. God Bless Your Memory.
In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Sanford Hospice, Hope Park Board, and St. Agatha’s Church, Hope.
Due to COVID, there will be a private family service. It will be livestreamed at 10:30 AM on Sunday, December 13, 2020 on Boulger Funeral Home’s website.
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God Bless Mary Ann – she would always flex her calf muscles at me, and tell me “have you ever seen anything this big, Larcky?” I will miss her laugh, honest opinion and wit.
Miss you mary ann ihry…
Ihry family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you. Mary was such a beautiful soul. I was shocked when I opened up the Fargo Forum and saw that she had passed. May God give you peace and comfort knowing that she is with Wade , Dale, and your mom and dad! Love to all!
Every time I think of Maryann I remember her hearty laugh. She had a way of making you laugh along with her. I will never forget some of her classic comments. She was a very fast worker. Maryann used to say that she could work circles around other people. She had friends everywhere. Her love of Chinese restaurants is well known
Also her love of cooking. But the thing she loved most of all was her family. She was so proud of all of the them. Good bye Maryann. You faced your illness bravely.
Mary Ann you were more like my big sis rather than a cousin. We had so many laughs and tears ups and downs and inbetweens I’ve our lives together here in Minot. You braved a lot of storms in your life but now no more pain or sadness only happy and healthy and with all of our family in Heaven. I Love and will miss you honey 💜🙏💕
Dear Cousins & Families,
So sorry to hear about Mary Ann. May your hearts have peace as she has no more pain. She was proud of her family 💕Sending hugs to all of you.
We could never remember when we meet but I’m glad we did. However many years it was I’m thankful for all of them. I will always be grateful for your friendship. We had some good lunches and times together. Miss u 💜
God bless Aunt Mary – whether it was the Ihry family reunion, a sporting event, or just a stop by the house, Aunt Mary was always happy to see everyone and was overjoyed to get caught up on all of the happenings in her niece’s and nephew’s lives. We will miss you Mary!
With love & prayers,
Tyler & Stevie Ihry Family
What a beautiful photo tribute. Mary will be leaving me with many fond memories. Loved her wit, her hearty laugh, her spontaneity, and her HUGE heart. There seems to be so little to say in times of loss; but my heart goes out to her family. Wishing you God’s peace.
I will cherish our friendship and the great laughs we had! I’m grateful to have gotten that last hug in October! Rest In Peace my friend. And yes Mary Ann, you made the basket from the half court line and we did win that game!
Love you!
Jan Hankey “Pick” ❣️
Oh May Ann ( yes, I wrote May Ann instead of Mary Ann, as that is what my daughter used to call her way back in the day when she cut her hair, and she has been May Ann to our whole family forever since then). My daughter is 37 now! I was Mary Ann’s “house parent” when she lived at the Transitional Living house way back in the early 80s. She and I became “fast friends”, and had so much more than a client/worker relationship, one that lasted 30+ years. I have since moved to Wisconsin since 1989, but each and every time I returned to see family in ND, without fail, I would see Mary Ann, she was a joy and her laugh..oh my, I will miss that laugh. She was also my sister, Kathy’s, hair stylist and for years and years she came to her house to do her hair, and when Kathy passed away in 2018, Mary Ann was the first person there,and the last to leave, casseroles in hand. Steadfast and loyal. She was always interested in everything about my life, loved to reminisce about this or that funny thing that had happened in our history together. The last time I saw her was in December 2018, and before we left to come home to Wisconsin,we went up to her house so I could see her dogs again, and her shop, and well,maybe I wanted to buy this air fryer she had! God, I loved that woman. After that, we kept in touch over Facebook, and when she went to the nursing home, it hurt my heart as I knew it would be sheer agony to go without her pups. I told her I would come and take them, but apparently they had already gone elsewhere. She faced her life directly into the wind, and she battled through so many things, and I was always amazed at her tenacity and her wit and her big heart. I will miss my friend dearly, the world will be a little less colorful, but heaven gained an angel the likes of which I am sure has never been seen. I hope Jesus has his boots on! Rest in peace, MayAnn. Lots of love, Julie Marquardt
Dear Cousins,
What a very special and wonderful Celebration of Life, for for MaryAnn!!
The stories are priceless and brought laughter not at her but with you.
Larry said, MaryAnn would give him a haircut when he wouldn’t even ask or think he needed a haircut. She would say,
“Well that beard needs trimming.”
MaryAnn and I always had a good visit when we saw each other. She had a huge and kind heart for sure!
May the great memories always bring you Joy.
Lori and Connie have both said She will have a great Christmas from Heaven and a 360° view for sure.
Hugs and Love
Larry & Julie
My sympathy for all of you cannot be described but as I watched the service (and cried through all). I had to watch the second time…it was so “MaryAnn” like….I could now laugh, too at all of my thoughts of your families experiences with her. Greatfull for the opportunity to watch this service and see pictures from afar…thanks and God’s Love to All this Christmas
Prayers with the entire family.
To the Ihry Mary Ann will be missed at State Basketball games for Special Olympic in Minot.She was a awesome supporter for Cheila when we were in Minot.She’s going to be missed deeply.she wiil be cheering her on up above loudly.
I first met Mary Ann when she rented from us in Minot – we were friends for many years until we moved to Fargo, and then Bismarck. We lost touch over the years, but would run in to each other in Minot once in a blue moon. We shared many a laugh over meals at Sergio’s, and would hit the flea market to see what we couldn’t live without. I’m so sorry to hear of her passing – she was a good soul and had a wicked sense of humor. The world is a poorer place without her in it..