Mary White Obituary

Mary K. White passed away on the evening of September 4, 2025, with her daughters by her side, in the care of BeeHive Homes of Hamilton, Montana. Mary K. was born on March 19, 1936, in Billings, Montana. She grew up in Two Dot, Montana, with her parents and her grandparents, being particularly close to her beloved maternal grandfather, Gib McFarland, more familiarly, "Old Daddy." Throughout her life, she would recount his love and devotion to her and to the ranch. She remembered waking up one Christmas morning to a new pony, tied to the Christmas tree.

Mary K. attended school in Two Dot, and then Harlowton, but was sent off to St. Mary's Hall, a girls' boarding school in Faribault Minnesota, where she completed high school. It could not be said that she loved this experience, but she met and maintained close friends there. No doubt the experience of traveling by herself on the train and making her own way fostered an enduring sense of self-reliance. After high school, Mary K. went on to attend Wellesley College, finishing her degree at the University of Montana.

She married John O Baxter after college, and the couple settled on the McFarland-White Ranch. There, they faced the many challenges that ranch families do, but also had two daughters, Sarah and Mary Elizabeth "Betsy," and experienced other happy times with neighbors and friends. Fish fries, long-distance late-night drives back from the neighbors, bridge games, and Kentucky Derby parties abounded! Mary K. and John also rodeoed in the summers, reveling in their love of these western traditions.

Mary K. and John were divorced in 1966, at which time Mary K. left the ranch and moved to Arizona with her daughters. She began teaching English at Phoenix Country Day School, where her infectious love of literature influenced numerous classes of budding scholars. While living in Phoenix, she became reacquainted with John Dern, and they were eventually married in 1970. The family grew to include John Dern III, beloved stepson and stepbrother to the girls. Mary K. and the girls moved to the Chicago suburbs with "Jack." During these years Mary K. would return to the ranch with Jack and her girls in tow. She acted as an ambassador to Two Dot and introduced ranch life to her stepson and nephew along with close Chicago friends.

After Jack's retirement, the call of Montana prevailed, and Mary K. and Jack moved back to Montana. They lived on the ranch for a period but were eventually divorced. Mary K. then moved to Kalispell Montana where she opened a furniture store. This endeavor allowed her to nurture her love of design, as she collaborated with numerous customers in the development of their custom homes. She proved to be quite an entrepreneur and opened a second store in Bozeman. Her long-term partner, Loren Haarr, was also her partner in these businesses.

When daughter Betsy moved to a new ranch in Ismay, Montana, Mary K. became Betsy's hired man, and the two of them ran the place with firm hands, a love of ranching, excellent cooking, and tender hearts. Mary K. embraced this new ranch community and came to love her view of the "gumbo mountains." She was an outstanding grandmother to her grandson John. She made sure that John would love school, all dogs and cats, baby calves and chickens.

Mary K. loved to travel and was open to new experiences. She went several times to Africa and Europe and ventured on a wonderful trip to the Galapagos Islands. She liked to head off the ranch periodically to see a Broadway play or an art exhibit in Chicago. She was determined to take John to Africa and as soon as he was old enough, she took him to the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

Mary K. made friends easily and then held them dear. She loved to bring people together and nothing made her happier than throwing a party. She will be remembered for Spaghetti Westerns, Fourth of July celebrations, and wintertime Tom and Jerry parties, along with countless dinner parties and picnics.

After almost twenty years in Ismay, Mary K. and Betsy sold the ranch and moved to Big Timber. There, sadly, she began to experience the symptoms of dementia, resulting in a slow decline over many years. Eventually, she and Betsy moved to Hamilton where Sarah and Betsy did what they could to make her safe and keep her comfortable. She passed away from the effects of this disease. We are grateful to The Living Center and Big Sky Home Health, Palliative and Hospice Care and want to especially thank BeeHive Homes and all their staff for the kind and loving care they provided over the past 18 months and her last few days.

Mary K. is survived by her daughter, Sarah (Jeremy Shields) and daughter Betsy, her stepson, John Dern, her grandson, John, and her brother Gilbert "Mac" White (Melody), and her niece and nephew. A memorial service is planned for November 8, 2025, in Billings. Please see https://marykwhitememorialservice.rsvpify.com for details. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston.