Mary Alice Kemkes (née Spear)

Of Lino Lakes was called home to our Lord Jesus on November 18th, 2025, at the age of 85.

Mary was born in Mankato, MN on May 4th, 1940. In 1958 she graduated high school from Mankato, MN. She earned a Medical Technician Degree in 1959. She worked various jobs including Medical Lab Technician, data entry, Tupperware sales, and finishing her working career in the offices of FMC.

She married Donald A. Kemkes in 1960 and was blessed with 4 children, making their home in Brooklyn Center, then Brooklyn Park and retiring at the lake “cabin” in Clearwater.

Mary enjoyed family time with all her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She loved to bake and tend her outside flower gardens. She was an avid collector of antiques. Magazines and the Portals of Prayer were always by her reading chair.

The home was always decorated during the holidays with her hand-painted ceramics and the cookies she would bake for the family.

She enjoyed vacationing with her husband, Don, and together, spent winters in Florida and Texas. A trip to Ireland and Scotland was a highlight with her two daughters.

Mary was preceded in death by husband, Donald; son, Kevin Kemkes; parents, George and Alice Spear; brother, John Spear.

She is survived by her children, Kathryn (William) Heffern, Sandra (Ronald) Hall and Keith Kemkes; her grandchildren, Mitchell (Corina) Pavlik, Michael (Emily) Pavlik, Mikayla (Justin) Sederski, Brittney (Benjamin) Timmerman, Tayler (Mitchell) Mennen, Matthew (Anna) Hall, Amy (Alan) Larson; and 8 great-grandchildren, friends and extended family.

Funeral service 11:00 AM Saturday, November 22 at New Life Church – Lutheran, 6000 N. 148th St., Hugo with visitation from 10-11 AM. Interment Morningside Memorial Gardens.