Mary Louise Newbury, 86

Mary Louise Wendt Newbury, born in St. Louis, Missouri, on Nov. 30, 1938, peacefully went to be with her Lord Jesus on July 6, 2025, in Cupertino, California.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Navy veteran, Gerald V. Newbury, her father, Clyde Ernest Wendt, her mother, Emma Louise Wendt, all seven of her siblings, and her grandson, Jonathan Henry Hughes.

Mary was the youngest of eight children. She was married to Gerald Virgilious Newbury and remained soulmates for 64 years. 

Mary is dearly missed by her children, Sheryl Bertapelle of Midland, Michigan, Debra Hughes of Morgan Hill, California, Gerald Richard Newbury of Kalispell, Teresa Butterfield of Whitefish, and Michele Newbury of Cupertino, California; as well as her 18 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

At a young age, Mary's family moved to Washington state, where her parents ran a horse ranch, sparking her love for horses. The family would then move to Montana while she was still young. They lived in Havre and Whitefish, during which time her dad worked on the Great Northern Railroad. Mary continued her love of horses, and her passion grew. She rode constantly with her childhood best friends Linda, Dottie, and Barbie, they have remained friends to this day. Mary later shared her love for horses with her own family and never seemed to be without a few on her property in Whitefish. 

Mary was always active, working alongside her husband, Jerry in the woods, leading Girl Scouts, chaperoning field trips, running her own daycare, where she was "grama" to many children of her community, incentivizing them with Swedish Fish toward positive choices. She demonstrated care for others; whether caring for elderly in her home or inviting others to her home for a meal, a place to stay, or even just fellowship. Mary enjoyed working in her garden, fighting the deer for the bounty. She also enjoyed outdoor activities like whitewater rafting, crochet, yard baseball, trampoline and various other yard games, Mary used the same yard to host a family wedding as well as a high school graduation ceremony among other things, enjoyed family time at Glacier Park, especially the Trail of the Cedars, as well as supporting her kids and grandkids at every sport imaginable. In fact, Mary and Jerry coached baseball for years in a unique way, taking the kids under their wings—they would pick the boys up so they could make it to practice, feed them if they came hungry and put shoes on their feet should they show up without any on. She put on terrific parties, hayrides and scavenger hunts. She was a hardworking, determined, loving, caring and selfless person, who purposely passed these character traits to her children. 

She loved her family with a passion. Mary was a loving wife, daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great-grandmother. 

We remember many things about her each day, such as every birthday she was 19 years old, her love of the color red, her love for black licorice, her annual joke on April Fool’s Day that "the horses are out" which would throw everyone into a panic, grabbing shoes on to run chase them back to the coral. She loved chickens where you could always find one named Henny Penny.

In the later years, before Jerry passed, you could catch the two of them traveling around the Flathead Valley, enjoying the beautiful Montana scenery including Whitefish Lake, Flathead Lake, Glacier Park, and the North Fork, to name a few.

We celebrate Mary each day in even more ways than we already mentioned.

We would like to invite you to join us at a celebration of life service, to honor Mary. This will take place next summer 2026 so out of towners can plan for attendance. We will announce the date and location as the time draws nearer.