Mary Ann Westerlind, 98, formerly of Mercer, ND died November 30, 2024 in a Mandan care center.  Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 7, 2024 at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Mercer.  Interment will be held in the Mercer Hillside Cemetery.  Visitation will begin at 6:30PM with a prayer service at 7:00 PM on Friday at the church in Mercer.

Mary Ann was born on April 1st, 1926 in rural Mercer to John and Katherine (Rust) Miller. She was raised and educated in Mercer, graduating from Mercer High School in 1943. The summer after graduating from high school, Mary Ann was approached by a small rural school north of Mercer and accepted the offer of becoming the teacher in the one-room school there. She attended Minot State College during the summer months for a number of those years, earning her teaching certificate and continued to educate grades one through eight in the rural Mercer school for several years.

Mary Ann married Arnold Westerlind on January 1, 1947, at the St. Olaf Lutheran Parsonage, Turtle Lake. Arnold and Mary Ann were proud Mercer residents, raising their five children, and supporting the community in any way possible. They welcomed their friends and family for long visits at their home and at Brush Lake, where they spent countless Sundays enjoying lake life. Arnold and Mary Ann continued to live in Mercer for 55 years of marriage, traveling and later spending their winters in Apache Junction, AZ. Since 2016 MaryAnn has made her home in Bismarck, ND at Augusta Place.

Mary Ann was an active and loyal member of Our Savior's Lutheran Church of Mercer. She was a valued member of WELCA and served on the Altar Guild. As an active homemaker, she supported her local community and school. Mary Ann beamed with pride when telling stories of her children and grandchildren. She especially enjoyed following all of their activities from sports to the arts. Mary Ann was an avid Minnesota Twins fan, diligently watching each game and hoping for a better season each year! All those who were fortunate enough to share in her life knew Mary Ann for her adventurous, fun-loving spirit—poking fun at herself and others, and always looking at the positive side of life.

She is survived by her three sons and daughters-in-law, Gordon and Judy (Brewster) Westerlind, Big Lake, MN, Roy "Skip" and Gayle (Morehouse) Westerlind, Paso Robles, CA, and Steven and Teresa (Goldsberry) Westerlind, Lompoc, CA; her son-in-law, Terrance Sparrow, McClusky, ND, her daughter-in-law Sandra (Gilchrist) Westerlind, Bismarck, ND; grandchildren, Keeya (Sparrow) Hager, Kipp Sparrow, Katherine (Sparrow) Bender, Tera (Westerlind) Brooks, Joe Westerlind, Shanna (Westerlind) Jury, Nicole (Westerlind) Maddock, Dustin Westerlind, Cory Westerlind, Trevor Westerlind, Michael Foley, and Melissa (Foley) Arteaga; thirty-four great grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Arnold Westerlind, daughter Deborah Westerlind, son Frederick Westerlind, and sister Violet Gessele.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation for the love and care that was provided to Mary Ann during her 8 years at Augusta Place in Bismarck. Though her heart never truly left her home in Mercer, the care and friendship provided to her at Augusta created a comfortable life for a spunky 90 year old.