Mary Irena (Stewart) Wilkins

Mary Irena (Stewart) Wilkins was born on March 24, 1943, to John and Pearl Stewart in Valentine, Nebraska. Mary was the third of four children, her siblings being Doris, Jim and Andy. Mary and Doris had a very special sister relationship and remained very close their entire lives. Mary and family had to move to Omaha in 1947 when her dad John had to seek treatment there for polio. The family faced many challenges with this unplanned move, money was tight, but the family remained strong due to their love for one another. Many years later, surrounded by her kids, Mary visited the little white farmhouse just north of Valentine, where the family lived. Mary sensed she was in the room where she was born and that turned out to be true, it was a moving moment for the entire family. Another story she shared with her children during those years in Valentine was when her brother Jim, being 3 or 4yrs old at the time, was bitten by a rattle snake. Not having transportation to get Jim to the hospital, their father John carried Jim to the nearby road and begged a stranger driving by to take them to town, to get his son treated, which was successful and saved Jim's life. Mary always remembered this story of her father and brother fondly. Mary attended Sherman elementary school in Omaha as a child and graduated in 1961 from Tech High School. Not surprising to those who knew her, she was voted Best Dancer in her class. Her children can testify she still had her dance moves well into adulthood and was never shy to show them off. Mary met Ben Wilkins and together they raised 4 children: Dee, Craig, Shelly and Bob. Mary was a very loving and protective mother and would voice her opinion to anyone (perhaps a teacher) that she felt wasn't serving the best interests of her children. Mary was a strong and guiding light for her children, to which they will always remain grateful. Mary started a career with OPS in Food Service at Nathan Hale in 1976....where all of her children would eventually attend, and if you were friends with her kids, it wasn't uncommon for you to receive an extra chocolate milk. Mary became Manager of Nathan Hale's cafeteria, then spent time at Benson and Northwest before retiring. Mary and Ben were married for 58 years before Ben passed in November 2023. In 2001, Mary and Ben bought their "dream" house. They spent the next year gutting the house, putting it back together with Mary's strong direction of course, and hosted all of their family's get togethers, holidays, birthdays and Husker games there for the next 20 years. Mary and Ben loved spending time with their kids, especially on the Missouri River. They rarely missed a boating trip on the weekends, and they eventually bought a 5th wheeler in 2015 which was close to the river, and they spent most weekends there in the summer time over the next 5 years. These years will always be special memories for the family. Mary passed on Monday, April 7th, 2025, surrounded by her children and granddaughter Kylie, and surrounded with love. She was preceded in death by her parents John and Pearl, her brother Jim, her sister Doris, and her granddaughter Lily Leyden. She is survived by her children, Dee (Tom) Falcone, Craig (Sylvia) Wilkins, Shelly (John) Leyden and Bob Wilkins. Mary is also survived by 13 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren and her brother Andy (Georgie) Stewart. FUNERAL SERVICE: 3PM, Saturday, April 12, 2025 at Reichmuth Funeral Home in Elkhorn. Family will receive friends at 2PM. Memorials may be directed to Prospect Hill Cemetery of Elkhorn Recovery Fund.

Mary Irena (Stewart) Wilkins

March 24, 1943 - April 7, 2025