Mary A. Chapman, age 73, of Cambridge passed away August 9, 2009 at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale.  Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Friday, August 14th at Strike Funeral Home – Cambridge Chapel.  A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. 

Mary was born and raised in Ceylon, Minnesota. As a child, she had contracted every childhood disease and was home in bed for months with scarlet fever. Mary enjoyed school and was in so many activities. While learning to type her top speed was 87 wpm, her father challenged her to get past 100 wpm, and she exceeded his challenge and was excellent at short-hand and all other secretarial activities. Mary loved music and played the piano. She loved to sing she enjoyed Friday nights with friends in piano bars in the cities. While living there she met Bob, and worked for WCCO TV. Bob and Mary were married 8/23/58 in Ceylon.

She supported Bob while he went to college, together they purchased and ran a gas station, after a short stay in WA for the army with their new born son, they moved back to Minneapolis. Mary worked for the U of M and then NW Bank. Becky was born.  The family moved to Plymouth on Halloween 1965 and then purchased L&S Express Co. Mary (MAC) delivered packages all over the cities, was secretary and mother. She took flying lessons at Crystal airport. She loved to bowl and for years was part of a team in Golden Valley. She also raised Siberian Huskies. In Nov.1984 she was blessed by her 1st grandson Ryan. In 1986 they sold the trucks and built a home in Buffalo and remodeled and opened Mallards Marsh restaurant & bar, a short but lifelong dream. She hated to cook daily meals and now didn’t have to.

In 1992 Mary suffered a major heart attack and was flown by helicopter to North. She always wished she remembered the ride. She had a triple bypass and went back to work at Sharpe Cleaners. She started working for M&P Utilities and had her winters off. In 2001 Sean Robert was born. She suffered a small stroke in 2005. After her retirement she started caring fulltime for Bob who has Alzheimer’s. In Sept 08 she purchased a one level home in Cambridge closer to Becky & Bob who helped her with her daily issues with Bob. 2009 has been a really hard year for Mary. She was stretched so thin with being a caregiver and her own health, but never complained. She had finally made the major decision to put Bob into a nursing facility and enjoy life when it was cut short. Mary is so missed by Becky, Bob and Ryan; they were either together or talking by phone 2-3 times a day and by her cat, Jack. All who knew Mary know she was a kind and gentle angel, always smiling and trying to make others happy and making friends where ever she went.

Mary passed away Sunday, Aug 9, 2009 of a stroke at North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale at the age of 73 years, 3 months and 2 days.  

Mary is survived by her husband, Robert, her best friend and daughter, Becky (Bob & Ryan) Hanson of Stanchfield, son, James (Jan & Sean) Chapman of St. Michael. She surely is in heaven with her parents, Ed & Irene Vollrath, her brother Jack, one nephew and many dear friends. A special thanks to all at North for the years they kept her with us. It’s Ok, she’s resting now.