Mary Ann Schwehr

On March 25, 2020, Mary Ann Schwehr passed away peacefully in Billings. She was 84 years old. She was born in Belfield, North Dakota, on May 11,1935, the 15th of 16 children born to Edward Pius and Elizabeth Laura (Winkles) Schwehr.

Mary Ann and her family moved to Billings in her seventh grade year. After she finished her freshman year at Billings Central, she joined the Sacred Heart Convent in Yankton, South Dakota. There, she finished her extensive education, a bachelor of arts degree in Elementary Education in 1967 and a master's in library science in 1973. Mary Ann was an elementary school teacher from 1953 to 1972 in South Dakota and a librarian from 1970 to 1995 in South Dakota, and for the Chicago Public Library.

Mary Ann left the convent in 1995 to move to Billings to care for her aging parents. During that time, she also worked in tax preparation, bookkeeping and as a library consultant.

In the spring of 2002, Mary Ann had a stroke that left her a bit incapacitated. After a year, without the recovery she had hoped for, she decided to write a novel. It was called "Search for Our Home" and published in August of 2013. During that time and until her death, she was working on an autobiography and created an extensive family genealogy.

She is preceded in death by her parents, 10 brothers and four sisters. She leaves her brother, Robert (Judy) Schwehr of Boise, Idaho; 80-some nieces and nephews, and many, many great-nieces and nephews.

Cremation has taken place and the funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. Friday, July 24, at St. Pius X Church, 717 18th St. West, with burial following at Holy Cross Cemetery. A vigil will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 23, at Michelotti-Sawyers Mortuary, 1001 Alderson Ave. The funeral mass will be streamed live at https://www.stpiusxblgs.org/liturgy-music-sacraments/streaming-mass/.