Mary C. Weidert

Mary C. Weidert passed away peacefully on Friday, August 27, 2021, at her home in Austin, Texas. She was born on October 17, 1923, to Kathryn Joyce and Martin Connelly in Ridgway, Pennsylvania, the eldest of three daughters. Mary was a first generation American, as her father emigrated from Ireland. She graduated valedictorian from St. Leo’s Catholic School in Ridgway and earned an academic scholarship to attend Villa Maria College in Erie, Pennsylvania, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics and minors in Chemistry and English.

Mary was a member of the “Greatest Generation.” During the summers of her college years, she worked as a “Rosie the Riveter” at a General Electric plant, operating a die press machine producing parts for submarine engines. After graduating from college Mary moved to Idaho to work as a food inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the laboratories of Simplot Potato Manufacturing, which made dehydrated potatoes for the troops. When the war ended, she received a letter stating that her job with the USDA was over because the men were coming home.

Mary then returned to Pennsylvania and began working for the West Penn Power Company, teaching housewives how to cook with their new electric stoves and ovens. After announcing that she was engaged, Mary received another letter, stating that she was being dismissed because the company did not employ married women.

In 1947, she married William F. (Bill) Weidert, Sr., also of Ridgway. They relocated to Pittsburgh, where Bill started a new job with the accounting firm Arthur Young & Company. Their first child, Bill, Jr., was born in 1948, followed by Bob in 1951, and Diane in 1954. In addition to her three children, Mary was the loving owner of multiple dachshunds, a bird, and for a very short time, a monkey, courtesy of her son Bill and nephew Freddy. During her Pittsburgh years, Mary and her husband Bill traveled extensively to Europe and Turkey for Bill’s business. Mary was active in the PTA and had many happy hours with her bridge club and golf league. In 1971, Bill earned a promotion, and his job took him to Brussels, Belgium. Mary and their daughter Diane also moved there, where Diane finished high school. Upon arriving in Brussels, Mary immediately enrolled all three of them in French lessons, but she was the most successful student. She was able to order a taxicab in French and have one actually show up on time. Mary enjoyed her time in Brussels. She frequently entertained Bill’s international business associates as well as quickly made friends with the other Americans in the city.

In 1974, Bill retired from Arthur Young and he and Mary relocated to Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1977, Bill passed away unexpectedly from a medical condition at the age of 56. A year later, Mary moved to Augusta, Georgia, to live with her youngest sister Rita A. Connelly. Rita was working full-time as Chief Dietitian at the VA Hospital. During her time in Augusta, Mary sought out various volunteer opportunities, mostly at local hospitals. Mary and Rita were also regulars at the Masters Tournament, enjoying the golf games and admiring the well-kept grounds at Augusta National. Mary also made many trips to Austin to visit Diane and Steve, including the time leading up to the birth of her first grandchild, Robin, who was born in 1988. Mary and Steve had dinner at The Night Hawk on Congress that evening to celebrate.

In 1990, after Rita retired from the VA, Mary and Rita moved to Austin, Texas, to be near Diane and Steve’s growing family. They arrived in Austin in 1990; the same day Mary’s second granddaughter, Stephanie, was born. As with Robin’s birth, Steve, Mary, and Rita, again had dinner at The Night Hawk to celebrate the birth of Stephanie. And two years later, when William, the first grandson, (her favorite grandson) was born, they all again went out to dinner to The Frisco, this time with Lynne, Steve’s mother.

Mary was fully engaged in being “Grammy” or “Yo” to Robin, Stephanie and Will. Rita, too, enjoyed being the great aunt to Mary’s grandkids. All three grandkids had the priceless opportunity to live within walking distance of Mary and Rita. Over the years, Mary and Rita and the grandkids played store, worked in the garden, watched movies, and read books together. As the grandkids got older, Mary went to their basketball games, soccer games, football games, dance recitals, swim meets, Boy Scout meetings, shopping trips, and theater performances. Mary also got to put her cooking skills to work, particularly for Will. Mary and Rita usually spent Friday evenings with the Morris family playing Tripoli or other card games and Sundays eating dinner in the Morris’ formal dining room, dubbed the “Hall of Silver,” where everyone practiced proper table manners.

Mary and Rita enjoyed the many trips to Port Aransas with Diane, Steve, and the grandkids. They would get up early, swim in the gulf then later in the hotel pool, eat pizza and sing Karaoke at night, day after day. Mary and Rita would also take Robin and Stephanie on trips to Florida beaches, leaving it to Diane and Steve to tell the cover story to Will that his big sisters had gone to Girl Scout camp. Mary got to see all three grandkids graduate from high school, college, and then postgraduate studies and degrees. Mary, like her father, Martin Connelly, believed in the value of an education; she generously supported her children and grandkids in their academic pursuits as well as reading programs at local elementary schools. Mary was resilient, gracious, compassionate, and a kindhearted peacemaker, whose life was a lesson in and of itself to all who knew her.

Mary and Rita enjoyed taking many trips together, visiting West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, New York, Virginia, South Carolina, Washington, D.C., Florida, Branson, Canada, Mexico and many cruises. They were just as comfortable being at a ring dunk in a Galveston biergarten as attending a fine arts music and dance recital as sharing at an investment club as touring the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. But by far, one of Mary’s favorite trips was being in Omaha, Nebraska, spending the day with her granddaughter Robin on her wedding day.

In 2010, Mary and Rita moved into an apartment at the GreenRidge at Buckner Villas, where they made new friends and participated in many activities, including swimming, movies, prayer groups, care teams, musical concerts, bingo, and poker with optional adult beverages. In 2015, Mary’s son Bill moved to Austin to be closer to Mary and Rita and to “help them”, which did not really mean medical appointments, but rather driving many trips to dress, shoe, electronic and office supply stores, nail salons, restaurants and theatres. Mary was no luddite, as she spent hours listening to Mass and the Rosary, audio books, and podcasts and would regularly get on video calls with all her family.

In March 2020, Mary moved to Diane and Steve’s home in Austin. She called and wrote letters to her old friends and spent hours sitting outside with her dogs, watching the world go by and waving at the neighbors. Earlier this summer, Mary was visited by Bob and Mimi from Florida. And then, over an extended July 4th weekend, Mary was overjoyed with the family reunion of Robin, Tom, their two children, as well as Stephanie, and Will - they came from Colorado, Nebraska, and Germany.

Mary now joins her parents, her husband William F. Weidert, Sr., her sisters, Rita A. Connelly and Catherine "Kay" Connelly Gallagher (John Gallagher), and their granddaughter Morgan Lynn Gallagher, her sister-in-law Eleanor (Joseph) Brunner and their daughter Mary Marcella Brunner, brother-in-law Robert (Bonnie) Weidert, and brother-in-law John (Betty) Weidert, who predeceased her in death.

Mary is survived by her three children William F. Weidert, Jr., of Georgetown, TX, Robert M. (Margaretmary “Mimi”) Weidert of Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, and Diane (Steve) Morris of Austin, TX. She is also survived by the three Morris grandchildren and two great-grandchildren: Robin (Thomas) Breazier of Gretna, Nebraska, and their two children, Mary Jean, and Owen Austin; Stephanie Lennon Morris of Fort Collins, Colorado; and William F. “Will” Morris of Hamburg, Germany.

Mary is also survived by Terry Weidert, Frances Weidert, and Joe (Janet) Brunner. She is also survived by Kay and John's seven children Jane (Don) Fuller, John (Patti) Gallagher, Mark Gallagher, Mike (Debbie) Gallagher, Maurita (David R., Sr.) Krieger, Caren (Tom) Eppler, Joyce Gallagher as well as Kay's grandchildren Scott (Janet) Shannon, Rod (Claire) Fuller, Patrick (Karen) Fuller, Zach Krieger, David R. (Alison) Krieger Jr., Kristina (Dave) Green, Kevin (Amanda) Gallagher, Lauren (Cesar) Gallagher, Colin Gallagher Rossi, Ryan (Candace) Eppler, and Sarah Eppler and great grandchildren Violet Gagel Gallagher and Rio Garcia-Gallaher.

In lieu of flowers, Mary would have wanted donations to be made to a child literacy program, such as Literacy Austin, online at https://www.literacyfirst.org/donate/ or sent to “UT Austin” (with Literacy First in the memo line) and mailed to 3925 W Braker Lane, Suite 3.801, Austin, TX 78759

A memorial mass will be celebrated on December 29, 2021 at 1:30 PM in the Chapel at St Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Austin Texas.