Mary Margaurite Eckhardt

Mary Margaurite Eckhardt, age 84, of Mankato, died on Monday, August 14, 2023 at Oak Terrace Assisted Living of North Mankato surrounded by family.

Funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 25, 2023 at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Mankato. The service will be livestreamed and available below the obituary. Military honors will be provided by the Mankato Area Veteran Memorial Squad. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery in Blue Earth, MN.

Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 24, 2023 at the Mankato Mortuary and will continue at the church for one hour prior to the service on Friday.

Mary was born on June 12, 1939 to Sherman and Alice (Mathews) Eckhardt in Blue Earth, MN. She was also welcomed by her 4 year old brother James. She was baptized on July 2, 1939 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Blue Earth.

In December of 1943 she lost her mother to cancer. Her fraternal grandparents moved in to take care of Mary and Jimmy. In April of 1946 her father married Harriet Peterson of Austin, MN and the family moved to Waseca for a short time before moving to Austin, MN. While living in Austin she was active in Girl Scouts and started taking piano lessons for the next five years. She started 7th grade at Austin Central High School for a few months and then moved to Westbrook, MN. On June 21, 1953 she was confirmed at Faith Lutheran Church. In high school she played the baritone saxophone in pep band and marching band. She graduated on May 30, 1957. She attended school in the Twin Cities for a short time.

On September 22, 1958 she enlisted in the U.S. Navy. She attended boot camp in Bainbridge, Maryland. After graduation she was stationed at Great Lakes, IL to attend Hospital Corps school and then was stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, VA. While stationed there she went to Radiology School. She was discharged on September 21, 1962. She moved to Mankato in January of 1963 and work at St. Joseph Hospital.

She married John Schwamberger on October 12, 1963 and they later divorced.

She worked at Hiniker Electronics and then to Midwest Electric Products for 16 ½ year before retiring.

She enjoyed bowling, ceramics, playing cards, and watching the Twins, the Lynx, Timberwolves and the Vikings.

She is survived by her children, Kimberly Phillips, Paul (Lisa) Schwamberger, Jeffrey (Julie) Schwamberger, and Daniel (Michelle) Schwamberger; 16 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; half-brother, Mark (Natalie) Peterson; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brother, James (Marlene) Eckhardt; step mother, Harriet; and twin granddaughters, Naomi and Olivia.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to the facility maintenance or capital improvement at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Mankato.

 

 

 

The live stream link below is a complimentary service

provided by Mankato Mortuary.

Unforeseen technical, internet, facility, and/or acoustical circumstances may produce a diminished end product. Please note, if the live stream does not appear, we are attempting to record and publish the service for later viewing.