Mary A. Gardeen, age 71 of Burnsville, entered eternity with her Lord Jesus on Tuesday, December 28, 2021. A visitation will be Monday, January 3, 2022 from 4-7PM at Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home: 4565 Pleasant St. SE., Prior Lake. A Celebration of Life Service will be Tuesday, January 4, 2022 at 11AM with a visitation 1-hour prior at Trinity Church: 10658 210th St W, Lakeville, MN. Pastors Trent Treimer and Phil Holcomb will preside, and pallbearers will be Mary’s grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, memorials will be distributed by Mary’s family to ministries important to Mary.
On November 9, 1950 at the Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, MN, parents Gordon and Lorraine (Swanson) Ahlquist celebrated the birth of their first daughter, Mary Ann Ahlquist. Growing up in Robbinsdale, Mary was blessed with loving parents, siblings, and grandparents, as well as a large and close extended family on both sides. During Mary’s senior year at Minnehaha Academy, she was faced with an unexpected hardship—the death of her mother. This formative moment cemented Mary’s faith, love of family, and direction for her future ministry.
Choosing to remain home to care for her father and younger siblings, Mary enrolled at the University of Minnesota for her freshman year. She then transferred to Gustavus Adolphus for a year before completing her nursing degree in residence at Bethesda Hospital in Saint Paul. Mary approached all aspects of her life intentionally and wholeheartedly, whether it was her work as a nurse or her role as a wife, mother, and grandmother.
On March 25, 1972, Mary was united in marriage to Gary Gardeen. Their love story began years before, having met at First Covenant Church in their childhood. They were blessed with almost 50 years of marriage, and Mary had looked forward to celebrating that milestone with her family.
Mary had a servant’s heart. Her life was defined by her faith, and she followed God’s path wherever it led. After completing her studies at Gustavus, Mary worked as a public health nurse for Beltrami County before continuing her education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois. During this time, Mary and Gary were blessed with their first son, Andrew.
In May of 1977, following recovery from a serious car accident, Mary and Gary were accepted as missionaries by World Radio Missionary Fellowship, Inc. for service at Hospital Vozandes in Quito, Ecuador. This time was filled with abundance—their family grew with the birth of twins, Jonathan and David, just five months after arriving in Ecuador. Mary embraced her role as a mother in a new culture reaching out to her neighbors in a new language. Following their first term of service, son Stephen was born on Mother’s Day of 1980 in Minneapolis, MN.
Compassionate, kind, and always desiring to share Jesus and His word with others: Mary had an impact on those around her. She encouraged others in their own relationship with God, especially through sharing scripture and leading Bible studies. Through the years, Mary’s nursing experience was invaluable as she started and developed a home health care program, a patient representative program, and a gift shop run by hospital volunteers.
In June of 2000, the family returned to the United States. While it was a time of transition, Mary knew God would provide her with new opportunities. She embraced being the Parish Nurse at First Covenant Church, a role that reunited her with the community of her childhood.
Mary leaves her family with a legacy of faith, hope, and love. She is deeply missed by her husband, Gary; sons: Andrew (Natasha) Gardeen, Jonathan (Lisa) Gardeen, David (Linsey) Gardeen, Stephen (Alison) Gardeen; grandchildren: Isaiah, Elijah, Samuel, Anna, Dennis, Jonah, Elias, Ethan, Luke, Amos, Axel; siblings: John (Peggy) Ahlquist, Marti Ahlquist, Mark (Carol) Ahlquist, Sara (Marlin) Gross; other loving relatives and close friends.
Mary is reunited in Heaven with her father, Gordon; mother, Lorraine Ahlquist; mom, Ethel Ahlquist.
