Mary Martha Nygren

Mary was born on March 18, 1940, in the parsonage of the Lutheran church in Sparta, Michigan, to Gilbert and Kathryn (Nesbitt) Brown. Her father was a Lutheran Pastor and his ministry took the family to Oakland, Nebraska and then to Braham, MN in 1954, where Mary attended high school. She had fond memories of summers spent in Lutsen, MN at the family cabin in the North Woods, and developed a love for the outdoors.

Mary met her husband William (Bill) Nygren in Braham and after they were married, they moved to Rochester, MN and then to Klamath Falls, Oregon where he established an oral surgery practice. They had 5 children through this union, and Mary stayed home to raise them. She was a wonderful mother, homemaker, cook, gardener, and seamstress. They briefly moved to a small farm in Dairy, Oregon and later divorced after 25 years of marriage.

She continued to live in Klamath Falls, attended Oregon Institute of Technology for further education, and worked as a Medical Assistant/Office Manager for a local physician until her retirement. In 2017, she moved to Yakima, Washington near her eldest daughter.

Mary was a faithful member of Klamath Lutheran Church for many years, serving as a deaconess, teaching Bible classes, and providing rides to church to those needing assistance. She also attended Hope Lutheran Church for many years. She was selfless, generous, brave, and very kind. She spent countless hours gardening, birding, Nordic skiing, hiking, camping, and going to the ocean, sharing many memorable adventures with her children and her dog Kylie.

Mary is survived by her five children: Tamera Lewis (Richard) of Yakima, WA; Dan Nygren (Dorothy) of Redmond, OR; Tracey Leslie (Jeff) of Portland, OR; Bethany Bischoff (Scotty) of Lovell, WY; and Pete Nygren (Jennifer) of Keno, OR; eight grandchildren: James and Nikki Nygren; Matt, Zach, and Luke Leslie; Colton and Reece Nygren; Kolt Bischoff; her brother Tim Brown (Betsy) of Grand Rapids, MN; 3 great granddaughters and 1 great grandson; 4 nieces, 5 nephews and multiple “granddogs”. She was preceded in death by her parents Rev. Gilbert Brown and Martha (Nesbitt) Brown, siblings David Brown, Kathryn (Brown) Gust, Ruth (Brown) Anderson, Theodore Brown, and niece Heidi Gust.

A private service, to celebrate her life and faith, will be held for family/relatives on October 3, 2025 in Klamath Falls, Oregon.