Mary Katherine Keenan

"Words can't describe how much shock I'm still in. I'm going to miss my little hippie Cousin Mary. Just the sweetest soul you'd ever meet. With the best smile and laugh combo that lit up a room." That was how Connor described his sweet cousin.

Mary Katherine Keenan entered this world with "stickin' up hair" on Sept. 29, 1994, in Billings, to her parents John and Carol, who waited a long time for their little girl. Her older cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents were just as thrilled to welcome the newest member of the family. And a few years later, she was just as excited to welcome her youngest cousins - which made Mary Kate the middle cousin.

Mary attended Little Seeds Day Care, McKinley Elementary, Lewis & Clark Middle School, and graduated from Billings Senior High in 2013. Her mom and dad were the Girl Scout leader, the soccer coach, and Carol always celebrated the Fourth of July with a neighborhood parade and the new school year with another celebration. Mary was a member of First United Methodist Church, and she loved youth group, church camp and volunteering on mission trips. Mary Kate developed many longtime friends from all these great times. Mary worked at Sam and Louie's Pizza for four years. Her great style and charming smile was a treat for any customer who walked through the door.

She loved her family; cousins' and grandparents' birthday parties, Christmas Eve church service, Thanksgiving at Aunt Tami's and Uncle Mike's, pictures with Santa, Christmas Day opening presents with the family , dinner at Uncle Kenny's, and Easter brunch allowed everyone to be together to celebrate something every month. Being the "middle cousin," Mary had to compete with two talkative older cousins and two wild little boy cousins, so she often didn't have a lot to say - or couldn't get a word in edgewise - but her sweet smile and giggle defined her when we were all together.

Mary Kate really was our little hippie girl - and loved anything to do with the '60s: tie-dye, peace signs and music. She felt like she was born in wrong era and would have loved to be a part of Woodstock. The camping trip every summer included tie-dying, four-wheeling and bonfires. As she got older, she became a beautiful young lady and definitely had her own style - including her red lipstick. A trip to New York City after she graduated from high school had people asking to take her picture and job offers at every hip clothing store she entered.

Mary Katherine died in Utah on Nov. 21, 2016. She had been in treatment for drug addiction since August 2015. Mary was in a tough place in her life when she entered treatment at New Roads Treatment Center. But the next 15 months we got our Mary Kate back. She got healthy physically and became the beautiful person we all knew was still inside her. Mary worked very hard at her sobriety and understanding her addiction. She was home in Billings to celebrate her 22nd birthday in September, but she was very anxious to return to Utah. Utah was beginning to feel like her second home. In the months she lived there, she skied, hiked, floated rivers and started playing on a softball league, which she just loved. We would have never guessed that one! She had finally started to embrace all of what life had to offer. Her family feels so blessed that Mary was able to have this time and we truly celebrate this.

Mary relapsed recently. A close relative made the comment that drugs took Mary's choices away from her. We know that it was not Mary's choice to die. She had been sober so long that her body no longer had tolerance for the drugs when she relapsed.

Mary Katherine is predeceased by her grandparents, Charlotte and Alvin Schlenker, Jane Rhodes, Earl Keenan; and her uncle, Mike Keenan. She is survived by her parents, John and Carol Schlenker Keenan; aunts and uncles Dona Schlenker Cranston, Monty Cranston, Kenny Schlenker, Gretchen Knight, Tami Schlenker Evenson (her style icon), Mike Evenson, Jimmy Keenan, Patti and Sherm Supola, Geri and Tom Boyle; cousins Libby and Brandon Heine, Connor Cranston, Sam and Max Evenson , Bailey Evenson and Shay Love; her longtime friends, Niki, Alexis, Lauren, Morgan, Hannah, Audrey, Chase and so many more who will miss Mary Kate forever. She had a special bond with her three puppy dogs: Dave, Addi and Norah (her rellers). She also leaves behind her best guy, Carson, as well as Brady, Ben, Jake and Luke and all of the other friends that she made in Utah. She loved her friends at New Roads Treatment Center and Wasatch Recovery.

We will celebrate Mary's life at 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, at First United Methodist Church, 2800 Fourth Ave. N