Mary Catherine Halloran
1923-2005
Mary C. Halloran, 82, Bismarck, died April 23, 2005, at a
Bismarck hospital. Services will be held at a later date.
Mary Catherine Halloran was born Jan. 29, 1923, in Bismarck to
Francis and Ada Maurer Halloran, both descendents of Irish pioneer families, the
Lyons and the Hallorans.
She grew up in the West Broadway neighborhood and moved with
her mother in 1952 to the Mandan Street site where the Lyons family had lived
since 1877. Mary's great-grandfather, John Lyons, had served at Fort Abraham
Lincoln under General Armstrong Custer.
Mary attended St. Mary's Parochial School from first grade
through high school, graduating in 1941. She attended the College of St.
Benedict, St. Joseph, Minn., for two years and worked as a secretary at the
State Capitol and at the State Historical Library. She lived in Spokane, Wash.,
for two years and worked at Catholic Charities.
Mary's interest in music began with piano lessons at St.
Mary's and later at the Mehus Conservatory. She played at social gatherings and
sometimes accompanied her brother, Leo, a violinist. She was an avid swimmer and
diver at the Elk's Pool throughout her youth. Besides music, she pursued
literature and writing. Mary enjoyed memories of family vacations with
automobile travel across the west and Canada and a trip to Chicago to the 1933
World's Fair.
She was a member of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit.
Mary is survived by her sister, Margaret Kelly, Denver, Colo.;
a sister-in-law, Virginia Nelsen, Bismarck; a niece, Katie Halloran, Bismarck;
and several cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents; and two brothers,
Leo and John.
Published in The BismarckTribune on 4/26/2005.
July 3, 2005
In the three months since my aunt Mary has passed away, we
have begun to tackle cleaning out and restoring her house. My mom and I decided
to be ruthless in this process and have given away most of her furniture and
possessions. However, the items that I have decided to keep are reminders of who
Mary was and what she gave to me personally as a young person.
With the help of family and friends, we continue to
restore the little house where Mary lived for 50 years. As I paint and clean, I
often look at the old black rotary telephone that she used to keep in touch with
family and friends. I spoke to her at least twice a week if not every day. I
will miss that voice on the other end, her voice that had behind it a strong
mind and a strong faith, and a strong love for me.
A poem I would like to share that Mary wrote is called "My
Companion." It is about her dependency on Jesus along her journey through life.
One of the greatest gifts I received from her and was able to share with
her was her faith. She was a woman of prayer and depended on God to survive. She
was not alone even though she was mostly isolated from other people. I know that
she is face to face with her trusted companion and I am very happy for
her.
Katie Halloran
MY COMPANION
by Mary C. Halloran
I leaned upon your love, O Lord,
And you were
always there.
Firmly I leaned -- you let me know
That you would always
care.
I leaned on you in loneliness,
You were my precious
friend.
You bore the burden for me,
When sorrows would not end.
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You knew the cross you gave me,
Its measure and its
scope
With all its intricacies,
In you I placed my hope.
I leaned on you -- you took my hand,
You were my
gracious guide.
Together we faced the great unknown
Journeying side by
side.
Always let me lean on you,
Or else I shall
fall.
Jesus, my companion,
My God and my all.
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