Mary Alice Northrup, 90

Mary Alice Hedwig Northrup, 90, of Rathdrum, Idaho, passed away Friday, April 5, 2024, at Generations Assisted Living and Wellness. Mary was born in Three Rivers, Texas, on Oct. 17, 1933, the daughter of the late Max A. and Erna (Maass) Barsch and the youngest child of five, all of whom predeceased Mary (Herbert Charles, Esther Levy, Maxine Mueller and Eugene Harvey). 

Mary graduated from Durham’s Business College in her senior year of high school. She worked in different organizations as a clerk, bookkeeper and secretary. She met and married Ray Paul in San Antonio in September 1956. They moved to Albuquerque, N.M., in 1957 for Ray’s work. She had her first two children, Kathlynn and Cynthia, there. In 1960, the family moved to Lompoc, Calif., where Mary worked at Vandenberg Air Force Base. Another move to Sacramento, where Mark was born. In 1964, Ray and Mary divorced.  

Mary proved how determined and strong a mother could be when raising three children alone. She worked at the jobs available to females in the '60s with the associated low pay. She worked for four years with the State of California Department of Water Resources in Palmdale. She gained skills as a radio operator and draftsman. 

Mary had a supportive friend network and good neighbors who could watch the three kids while she was at work. Mary was a savvy saver and frequently made a week’s worth of meals for the family from one chicken. While living in and working in Lancaster, Mary met and then married Jimmie Northrup in June 1967. Together, they had a fourth child, Jerrie. The family moved to Petaluma, Calif., around 1970, where she stayed home. At the end of 1972, the family moved to St. Maries, Idaho. Mary opened and ran Busy Bee preschool out of her house for five years in addition to a job with the Forest Service. Mary and Jimmie’s union lasted until their divorce in 1991. 

Mary did a variety of work in her life, which included drafting maps for the Forest Service, being trained on computer systems early on when they became available to government workers, managing contracts and providing transportation for fire crews throughout the St. Maries Region. She also trained as an Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and was called out at all hours to provide medical support at accidents and to transport folks to the regional hospitals. She moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and later retired from the Forest Service around 1994. She then worked in Real Estate with Century 21. She moved to Dallas, Ore., a few years later and lived there until she moved to Rathdrum, Idaho, to enter the generations for the last two years.

Mary was smart and continued to update her computer skills and volunteered as a tax preparer. She was also creative and dabbled in various activities, including painting, playing the piano, gardening, canning, crocheting and sewing. She loved to read and loved her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Mary is survived by four children: Kathlynn (Tony) Northrup-Snyder of Ashland, Ore.; Cynthia Northrup (Mark) of Bella Vista, Ark.; Mark Northrup; and Jerrie (Finessa) Northrup of Spirit Lake, Idaho. She was also blessed with grandchildren: Allycia Adams, Larra Snyder, Dustin Moses, Thomas Northrup, Chelsea Northrup; and great-grandchildren: Keira, Kaleb and Sophia Adams. Mary is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery, Post Falls, Idaho.

A memorial service will be held at the Evergreen Cemetery (2834 N. Spokane St., Post Falls, ID 83854) at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 18, 2025. Condolences may be sent to the family, or memories may be shared on Mary’s Tribute Wall at www.yatesfuneralhome.com. A memorial slide show can be viewed here as well. Donations can be shared with the local ASPCA (aspca.org).