Mary Kathleen Lempe

Mary K. Lempe, 75, Fargo, died Friday, February 7, 2020 at home, surrounded by her loving family. Mary was born on December 4, 1944 in Grand Forks, ND to Kathleen (McCabe) and Joseph G. Hunt. She was raised and educated in Larimore, ND graduating from Larimore High School in 1962. After high school, she moved to Winona, MN where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing at the College of St. Theresa.

During her time at St. Theresa, she trained in Rochester, MN at the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo experience was formative and proved to be an exceptional learning environment for Mary. After graduation, she stayed on at Mayo working in the Renal Dialysis Unit, which was the only unit between Chicago and Seattle. Over the years she worked mainly intensive care units, both medical and cardiac. Later, she served as clinical instructor at the University of North Dakota College of Nursing. Her nursing training and caring heart led her to devote years of her life to intensively caring for her parents and a cherished nephew in her home at the end of their lives. She also owned and operated Prairie Kids, a childrenʼs clothing store in Fargo, ND.

Mary found the love of her life and married Joe Lempe. She considered her family her greatest asset. Mary had three children, GJ, Katie, and Bill and raised them with Joe in their Fargo home. Remarkably, their home housed far more than the five of them. Countless family and friends who needed a temporary place to live were welcomed with loving arms.

Those who knew her will remember her love of playing Scrabble and Words with Friends, celebrating St. Patrickʼs Day and all things Irish, watching Law & Order, leaving the TV on all night, sleeping on the couch, meeting for lunch dates, singing at the piano, researching family ancestry, being fashionably late (ahem!), and spending time with friends and family at their home on Detroit Lake and their condo in Fort Myers, Florida.

She is survived by her husband, Joe Lempe; her daughter, Kathleen (Joshua) Allen, Carnation, WA; her sons, G.J. (Suzy) Lempe, Maple Grove, MN and Bill (Laura) Lempe, Fargo, ND; and five grandsons, Brendan, Dylan, and Cody Lempe, and Seamus and Thomas Allen. She is also survived by her brother, Joseph G. (Rita) Hunt, Jr. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph G. and Kathleen Hunt, and her sister, Colleen Cavara.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of the Red River Valley. The family is grateful for their support in keeping Mary in her home and as comfortable as possible.