Everson, Mary (nee Dahlberg) 92, of Friendship Village in Bloom-ington, passed away April, 26, 2020. Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Marshall and her sister Ruth Schmaedeke. A child of the Great Depression, and orphaned in her teens, Mary looked after herself and her younger sister developing an unbreakable form encasing a fiery brilliance within. Her strong self-reliance powered her to work continuously into her 9th decade as a business founder and leader, pioneer in early childhood education, counselor to drug, alcohol and gambling addicts, and social worker. Mary was a trailblazer and visionary as an entrepreneur at time when women were rarely found in business leadership roles. In 1963, along with her husband Marshall, Mary founded the first Montessori school in Minnesota. In 1967 La Pepiniere Montessori schools was formed and provided high-quality early childhood education to children throughout MN, WI and SD for 25 years. Many of the specially-trained Montessori teachers came from Sri Lanka and Mary maintained a strong affection and deep appreciation for all the teachers, and their extended families, who immigrated to the United States to teach in her schools. At the age of 63, Mary reinvented herself and returned to school to become the oldest person to earn a Masters of Social Work at the University of Minnesota and attain licensure that would enable her to serve others. In the mid-1990's Mary launched a second career in addiction treatment, establishing Club Recovery, an outpatient addiction treatment center where she served as founder and Clinical Director for almost 20 years. Mary always understood and was driven by a need to help others and which she did profoundly, positively impacting the lives of thousands of people in Minnesota over the generations. For the last 3.5 years Mary enjoyed an invigorating new life at Friendship Village. True to form, she organized and lead a weekly support group with her fellow residents. She treasured all her friendships at Friendship Village and beyond. Most of Mary's life was spent living in the community of Edina, which she dearly loved. She attended the University of Minnesota in the post WWII era and was a member of Alpha Chi sorority. She met the love of her life, Marshall Everson, at a New Year's Eve party he was hosting with his fellow Sigma Chi brothers at The Calhoun Beach Club. They married in 1950 and enjoyed 62 years together raising their 4 children, who were her pride and joy. Mary had a steadfast commitment to God and her family. Mount Olivet was her spiritual home for 40 years and participated in bible study until her final days. Mary was a member of PEO chapter AS for 72 years. She was proud of her Scandinavian heritage and passionate about history. This passion was evident in the hundreds of books she owned and read, and in her love of antiques and the important story behind every piece. Mary is survived by her four children, Marshall H. Everson, Jr., M.D. (Lenore) of Wayzata, Martha Everson Funkhouser, M.D. (Tom) of San Francisco, CA, Margaret Everson-Fisher (Paul) of Chevy Chase, MD and Missy Everson Blum (Leonard) of Edina and 12 grandchildren. She is also survived by her loving nieces and nephews. Memorials preferred to Mount Olivet Church. A memorial service will be scheduled for a later date when her family and friends may all get together to celebrate the wonderful impact she had on those who surrounded her. Washburn-McReavy.com Edina Chapel 952-920-3996