Mary went to her heavenly home on February 28, 2024. She died during a short stay in the hospice unit of St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, MN. Mary was born on June 12, 1936 in Two Harbors, MN, the only child of Hjalmer and Edith Mattson. Her early childhood was spent living on Encampment Island in Lake Superior, where her father was a fisherman. When Mary reached school age they couldn’t reliably get her to the school bus from the island, so her father built a house on a cliff near Lafayette Bluff where it stands to this day.
In 1954, after her graduation from Two Harbors High School, Mary was married to Walter Sve. The marriage was not a lasting one, but she loved their children Laurie and Kerry. She remained close to them and was glad for the time they could spend together. Mary also loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren as they came along, they called her “Grandma B.” or just “B” for short. Mary enjoyed traveling and dining out, she listened to country and gospel music and was a talented musician and singer herself. She could play the piano, organ, guitar and accordion. Mary could be stubborn and had a sarcastic wit, but it was often delivered with a smile and she tended to be generous to a fault.
Mary liked being an independent working woman. She began her career in Minneapolis in the dental field. She was once president of the Minnesota Dental Assistants Association and she traveled to China in 1982 with a group of dentists and assistants. After a move to Colorado in 1984, Mary reconnected with and married Jim Boucher in 1988. She continued to work and finally retired at age 79 1/2. She often regretted not working until age 80 and never adjusted to retired life. In 2019, Mary moved back to Minnesota along with other family members who had been living in Colorado. She lived at St. Ann’s Residence in Duluth.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband Jim Boucher and her former spouses Walter Sve and Olaf Bergerson. She is survived by her daughter Laurie (Mark) Hauschild, her son Kerry (Michelle Frazier) Sve, grandchildren Ryan (Ginger) Hauschild, Erika (Jesse) Vorpahl, Heidi (Tom) Woerdeman, Kevin Hauschild, Darren (Sarianne) Sve, and her great-grandchildren.
Mary’s family will have a private celebration of her life. Mary and Jim’s ashes will be placed at Lakeview Cemetery in Two Harbors.
