Mary Gilson Skorczewski, age 88, formerly of Ivanhoe, MN, passed away September 18, 2024 at the Green Prairie Center in Plainview, MN. Mass of Christian Burial will be on Thursday, Oct. 17, at Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Ivanhoe, MN with Fr. Brendan Rolling celebrating. Burial will be in the Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery, Ivanhoe. Visitation will be held at the Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel, formerly Gilson Funeral Home, in Ivanhoe on Wednesday, Oct. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. with a prayer service at 7 p.m. and will resume Thursday one hour prior to the service at the church. Houseman Funeral Home, Birk Chapel is entrusted with the arrangements.
Born on January 16, 1936, in Tyler, MN, Mary was the eldest child of Francis Irving and Elizabeth (Grodzicki) Gilson of Ivanhoe. She was a lifelong member of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Ivanhoe, where she received the sacraments of Baptism, the Eucharist, and Confirmation. Mary attended Ivanhoe Public Schools and graduated in 1954. She enrolled at the College of Saint Teresa in Winona, MN and earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1958. She returned to Ivanhoe and married Marcellus (Marce) Skorczewski on September 27, 1958, at Saints Peter and Paul. Mary and Marce had four children: Peter, Joseph, Teresa, and Lisabeth. The couple later divorced. Mary briefly worked as a Registered Nurse in Canby, MN; then she joined the staff of Divine Providence Health Center in Ivanhoe when it opened in 1967 and proudly worked there as an RN, primarily at night, until it closed in 2007. She was a lifetime member of the Hospital Auxiliary as well as Sts. Peter and Paul Ladies Guild and Rosary Society. After her retirement, she enjoyed reading, playing cards, watching sports, and visiting with family and friends. She was known for her exceptional charnina recipe.
Survivors include her children Peter Skorczewski and wife Tami of Sioux Falls, SD; Joseph Skorczewski and wife Sherry of Aberdeen, SD; Teresa [Teri] France and husband Scott of Sioux City, IA; Lisabeth [Betsy] Graves and husband Todd of Plainview, MN. Mary is also survived by her grandchildren Caitlyn, Zachary, and Cassidy Skorczewski; Joshua Skorczewski and wife Erica; Ashley Wegh and husband Shannon; Ethan and Avery France; Addison and Maren Graves; and two great-grandchildren Jubilee Wegh and Jetlyn Skorczewski. Additional survivors include sister Patricia O’Reilly and husband John; brother Thomas Gilson and wife Margaret along with many nieces and nephews and their families. Mary was preceded in death by her parents Francis Irving and Elizabeth Gilson; her sister Kathleen Donoghue and husband, John; her brother John Gilson as well as in-laws Donald and Ceceilia Skorczewski and Cecilia (Tootsie) VanCamp; nephew Kevin Skorczewski and niece Cheryl Stuefen Lundberg.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ivanhoe Community Club for the upkeep and improvement of Gilson Field, which was named in honor of her uncle, Joseph Gilson. Special thanks to the staff of Green Prairie Rehabilitation and Assisted Living in Plainview and Mayo Hospice for their loving care and compassion.
