Mary Catherine Wilder, "Mary Kay" died peacefully in Aurora, Colorado on January 20, 2019 at the age of 89. Mary Kay was born on November 21, 1929 in Cleveland, Ohio and resided there until she moved to Denver, Colorado in 1954. Mary Kay married Arthur R. Greenwood in 1952, who unexpectedly preceded her in death in 1963. Arthur's long-time best friend from Cleveland, Ohio; Roland Wilder, courted and married Mary Kay in 1966; bravely taking on the responsibility of Mary Kay and Arthur's six children. Mary Kay and Roland Wilder, who preceded her in death in 1988, had the joy of sharing one son together.
Mary Kay is also preceded in death by her parents, Alexander and Katherine Nagy, and her sister, Eleanor Marksz. She is survived by her seven children Kay (Tom) Fritzsche, Bruce (Karen) Greenwood, Scott (Mariann) Greenwood, Eric (Brenda) Greenwood, Mark (Maureen) Greenwood, Ellen (Rick) Trichka, and Keith (Joaquim) Wilder; Ten grandchildren Rachel Weaver, Allison Greenwood, Kenton Greenwood, Alexa McKay , Kara Colon, Laura Greenwood, Kate Leung, Emily Greenwood, Kyle Trichka, and Cameron Trichka; and two great grandchildren Brody and Hudson. She loved her only sister, Eleanor's children and to her passing, maintained a beautiful 'mother and daughter' connection with them. Mary Kay is also survived by a lot of friends, many who worked with her at the Arapahoe County Library District.
Beginning in 1955 Mary Kay moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she was a busy mother raising her seven children. She met many of her long-held and cherished friendships through Sacred Heart Catholic Church, who together shared child-rearing and companionship. In 1977, following her dear husband Roland Wilder's employment opportunity, she moved to Aurora, Colorado.
Christian faith was important to Mary Kay. She was raised Catholic and was devout in attending weekly Mass for many years. Later in life she attended a Bible church and transitioned as she aged to having a deep personal faith and trust in God. And though her Christian faith was very important to her, she also believed that many paths lead to the top of the mountain. Birthdays and Christmas were special to Mary Kay, and she was well known for having a Happy Birthday Jesus cake every Christmas.
Mary Kay was proud of her Masters of Library degree, obtained in 1953 from Notre Dame College, a Catholic liberal arts college in Cleveland. In 1977, at the age of 47, she satisfied her many year dream to work as a reference librarian by working for the Arapahoe County Library District for over 30 years; retiring in 2011 at the age of 81.
Mary Kay enjoyed being active whether it was working in her garden, skiing until the age of 70, and jogging (pushing a baby stroller in the 70's) when she was younger. She enjoyed watching her grandsons play baseball as they moved from playing T-ball all the way through high school baseball. She was a long-time Denver Bronco fan and was known to say that John Elway was one of her sons, giving her the privilege to treat him as-such, especially when he didn't perform to her standards.
Mary Kay was a voracious reader until the last few years, when TV shows captured her attention. And anyone who knew Mary Kay, knows how much she loved eating and sharing food with family and friends. Recently, she said that she earned her diabetes, as she only liked the very best chocolate and liquor. Being eclectic, she got her first tattoo at age 70 and added another every five years.
For years, people would compliment her on being strong and resilient, and it fit like a glove. Later in life, especially the last couple of years, Mary Kay became more sentimental. Recently, she would say that she doesn't want to be strong any longer. What always made Mary Kay cry is to describe how a friend told her that she plans to say at Mary Kay's funeral that "she was a Grand Old Dame".
Mary Kay loved to travel whether visiting her children and grand-children in United States or adventuring internationally on her own. Being Hungarian, she traveled to her roots in Hungary several times. Although she wasn't able to speak Hungarian, Mary Kay could hear and understand Hungarian language.
Mary Kay was a mama bear who fiercely protected her cubs, who supported and encouraged her children and grandchildren to find their unique path in life. She taught her grandchildren, what it is like to trust in God as she always looked to him for hope. She was kind and generous; independent and tenacious; intelligent and funny; a true and loyal friend; and a beautiful mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She will be missed by so many, but her memories will live on forever. She was greatly loved.