Mary Anna Avre, age 90, of Cambridge died April 7, 2023 at Scandia Senior House in Ogilvie. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday, April 14th at Joy Lutheran Church in Cambridge. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church. Luncheon to follow the service. Interment will be in Isanti Union Cemetery.
Mary Anna (Gillette) Avre was born to David and Ada (Haight) Gillette on March 21, 1933, at General Hospital, Minneapolis, youngest of six. She remembers strong faith practiced in their home. Family had moved several times, residing in Minneapolis as a teenager. Mary married John Ovre (later Avre) February 13, 1952, had six children. They moved to Rush City to farm, easily adapting as a farmer’s wife. Other residences were North Branch, Sandstone, Isanti then Cambridge Pine Village. She worked outside the home in various roles such as sewing, Head cook, daycare. Her favorite role was being Grandma Mary. Mary also enjoyed keeping busy with sewing quilts, Card Clubs, church activities, Queen of Red Hatters and casino trips. Her friend, Marilyn Benting, was frequently alongside. She loved living life, never afraid of candidly speaking her truth.
Mary passed peacefully early Friday morning on April 7, 2023 at Scandia House-Ogilvie. Mary just enjoyed her 90th birthday celebration with her family and friends at Joy Lutheran Church – Cambridge, in which she was a long time member. Mary was preceded in death by her parents and all her siblings. She lost her husband of 67 years, John, January 6, 2020; her two sons, Daniel and John; and 2 grandchildren years earlier.
She is survived by her four children Michael (Nancy) Avre, William Avre, Vicki (Michael) Danielson, Cindy (Patrick) Henderson, 23 grandchildren and 32 great grandchildren and 3 great, great grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews and their families.
We enjoyed having John and Mary as our neighbors for many years. When they sold their house our son bought it. We took a few traveling vacations with them. Mary and I did several craft shows together.we sure enjoyed our years together as friends.