January 15, 1943 – July 12, 2022 (age 79)
Mary Veronica “Mary V” (Mason) Kolesar passed peacefully July 12, 2022, at Logan Regional Hospital after a short but brave battle with lung cancer. Mary Veronica was born in Bridgeport, CT, on January 15, 1943, to Angelina Veronica and John Mason. She was the second of 3 children.
In August of 1965 she married the man with whom she would share the rest of her life, her high school sweetheart, Peter Kolesar. They had 2 children, Michael and Matt, but this nuclear family was simply the center of an extended “family” that Mary V created. Everyone she met was a friend she didn’t know yet, and her huge heart considered every friend as family. She was famous for her parties, did someone say ‘potluck’? and would often have students and others away from their own families over for dinner. Food was a huge part of her life, and as a cook she excelled, even when it came out “just the way we like it”.
She included the entire small but growing Catholic community in Cache Valley in her extended family, and her deeply religious convictions were the touchstone for everything she did. Her passions over-flowed to her love of nature, with frequent camping and cross-country ski trips taken with friends and family, and her aggressive concern for the environment. She was an environmental advocate long before it became trendy, espousing water conversation, recycling and waste reduction. She was a lifelong student, who after earning her masters in statistics, became a beloved teacher and mentor at Utah State University, helping to bring the burgeoning computer science department to life. She remained active at the university until her retirement.
Mary Veronica will be reunited with her sister Joan, and is survived by her husband Peter, children Michael and Matt, grandchildren Brandon and Tyson, and brother Fr. Dennis Mason.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to “Team Mary V”: Ginger Anderson, Janet Fiesinger, Kathy Chudoba and Anne Elsweiler, for their tireless and selfless care of Mary Veronica during her tribulations, and for their compassionate support of the remaining family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (https://act.alz.org/site/TR?fr_id=15924&pg=team&team_id=734107 ) or Covenant House (https://www.covenanthouse.org/)
Services will be held at Allen Mortuary and St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church: Sunday, July 17 – Allen Hall Mortuary, 420 E 1800 N, North Logan, UT.
6:30-8pm Visitation and Viewing
8pm Wake – This will be informal and reflect Mary Veronica’s spirited and loving personality. People will be invited to share short personal stories and reflections. Laughter and knowing smiles encouraged.
Monday, July 18 – St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 725 S 250 E, Hyde Park, UT
1:30pm – Mass of the Resurrection. Reception will follow in the Sandoval Social Hall.
None of the services will be live-streamed.
We hope you can join us physically or in spirit to celebrate the life of this amazing woman and earthly angel – Mary Veronica Kolesar.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at Allen Mortuaries.