Mary E. Krick

Saint Paul, MN — Mary Elizabeth Krick, 77, of Saint Paul, MN, formerly of O'Neill, died Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024.

A casual gathering for sharing memories and celebrating the one of a kind Mary Krick was held Friday, Nov. 8, 2024 at Saint Anthony Park Public Library in Saint Paul, MN.

Visitation was  held Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 at the Church of Saint Cecilia in St. Paul, MN.

Funeral services were held Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 at the church in Saint Paul, MN.

Memorials may be made to Saint Anthony Park Area Seniors, 2200 Hillside Ave., Saint Paul, MN 55108, 1-651-642-9052 or https://sapaseniors.org/donate; or the P.E.O. Foundation, Executive Office Treasurer, 3700 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312, 1-515-255-3153 or https://www.peointernational.org/make-a-gift/ in Mary's name.

Cremation Society Of Minnesota in Saint Paul, MN was in charge of the arrangements.

Born Sept. 11, 1947, in Grand Island, Mary was the cherished daughter of Jeanne (McCarthy) and C. Norman Gonderinger.

Mary Liz, as her siblings knew her, loved her hometown, O'Neill. 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, KS 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 is survived by her husband Thomas Paul Krick of Saint Paul, MN; her two daughters Elizabeth "Liz"  (John) Prather and Megan (Z) Krick; two granddaughters Mary Prather and Kathryn Prather; her three siblings Sue (Craig) Schoenfelder, Chuck Gonderinger and Bob (Mary) Gonderinger; one brother-in-law Larry (Joan) Krick; one sister-in-law Mary Lynne (Bill) Selsor; her 18 nephews and nieces Chris (Jessica), Stephen (Cabrelle), Mark (Sara), 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.

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

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