Mary Wurtele Vaughan

Vaughan, Mary Wurtele Died November 20th at age 95. She was born in 1928 in Minneapolis to Charlotte Lindley Wurtele and Valentine Wurtele. In her youth, the family split time between Minneapolis and a summer home on Lake Minnetonka. She often reminisced about taking the streetcar from Minneapolis to the Chowen's Corner stop at the lake. She graduated from Northrop Collegiate School in 1945 and from Smith College in 1949 with a major in government. In 1950, she married Richard "Dick" Henry Vaughan. They returned to Minnesota to build a house in Maplewoods and raise four children who were born in quick succession between 1953 and 1958. Family life in the 1960s and 1970s revolved around school and kids' activities. Vacations typically involved driving to the Rocky Mountains to guest ranches for horseback riding and fly fishing in the summer and to ski areas over spring break. She was an excellent horsewoman and loved trail riding and became known for almost always catching the largest fish. The family also spent time at the Vaughan family cabin on Hungry Jack Lake in northern Minnesota and later at a cabin she and Dick purchased in Wisconsin. In 1979, Dick died accidentally and her children had graduated from college, events that triggered major changes in her life. She moved back into Minneapolis to more easily engage her love for music and theater. She completed graduate courses in leadership at the Humphrey School for Public Affairs and then put those leadership skills, her native intelligence, and her commitment to civic life to practical effect. From 1976 to the time of her death, she committed an immense amount of her time, energy, and philanthropy to serving on boards with a focus on the arts, education, health, and women's issues. She assumed leadership positions on many of the boards by serving in executive positions, leading capital campaigns and chairing committees. These included the Ordway Theater, the Minnesota Opera, the Guthrie Theater, Macalester College, Northrop School, Abbott-Northwestern Hospital, and Stevens Square Community Organization. Mary believed deeply in the importance of these institutions in creating a high quality of life for all Minnesotans. In 1989, Mary built a second home near Cody, Wyoming. For the next 30 years, she spent her summers there entertaining her children, grandchildren, and friends. This land gave her the opportunity to enjoy and share her love of nature, riding, fishing, and hiking with many others. Mary had an active and curious mind which remained sharp to the end of her life. She was a tough opponent in any card game, but she especially loved gin rummy and bridge, which she played regularly with friends. She was a devotee of the New York Times crossword puzzles, but despaired if they had too many pop-culture clues. She continued her education throughout her life by taking courses, participating in study clubs, international travel and by extensive reading. She especially loved memoirs written by female authors. Mary was predeceased by her parents, husband, sister Ann Lawrence and brother Angus Wurtele. She is survived by sisters Joan Wurtele and Connie Packard, sister-in-law Margaret Wurtele, her four children Charlotte Winton (David), Carol Bemis (Judson), Peter (Cathy Anson) and Angus (Mary Floeder), by 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and by former daughter-in-law, Lee Vaughan. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Mary's honor may be given to the Minnesota Opera (620 North 1st St., Minneapolis, MN 55401) or to the Minneapolis Parks Foundation (4800 Minnehaha Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55417).

Tributes

Mary Wurtele Vaughan

July 31, 1928 - November 20, 2023

Tributes

Mary Wurtele Vaughan

July 31, 1928 - November 20, 2023

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