Mary Ann Metzger

Sunrise in this life for

Mary Ann was April 5,

1936 in Grafton, North

Dakota. Sunset was March

30, 2022.

The only child of Wil-

mer and Mary (Knotek)

Krile, she was raised by

her maternal

grandparents, Alois and

Anna Knotek, after the

sudden death of her

mother seven days after

Mary Ann’s birth.

She was raised in a

home of pure love, with

aunts and uncles serving

as siblings for her. When

she began school in Pisek,

ND, she not only had to

learn her ABC’s and arith-

metic, she also had to

learn how to speak En-

glish as her grandparents

only spoke Czech. She

soon not only learned En-

glish, she excelled at it.

From early childhood, be-

ing a writer was her en-

deavor. Her writings as a

young teenage girl are

phenomenal and later,

when busy being married

and raising six kids, she

wrote a story for a maga-

zine contest (Woman’s

Day) and WON! Her story

was published nationally.

Mary Ann met her life-

long love, Maurice

Metzger when she was a

mere 16 years old. He

joined the Army and left

for Germany for two

years, the both of them

writing each other letters

every day. During that

that time Mary Ann

worked as a theater ticket

taker, a helper at the dry

cleaners and as an assis-

tant in a doctors office. A

few days after Maury’s re-

turn to the states in 1955,

they married and began

their journey together.

Mary Ann took her role

as mother to six and

manager of the household

very seriously and re-

ferred to it as her career.

Once the kids were older,

she assisted Maury in

their business by taking

on the role of credit

manager.

Retirement brought

them to Arizona where

Mary Ann enjoyed every

ray of sunshine. Though

they missed their friends

in North Dakota, new and

wonderful friendships

were forged in Arizona,

some of them lasting for

40 years.

After losing her pre-

cious Maury in 2014,

Mary Ann moved to Casi-

ta No. 5 in a Brookdale

Community. She had nev-

er lived on her own before

and she flourished! The

life she did not get as a

college student in her

youth, she thoroughly en-

joyed now, creating more

deep and lasting friend-

ships, dying her hair pink,

green, purple, and some-

times all of the above.

In the words of her BFF

Anne, “she was so much

stronger than anyone

would have thought after

Maury died. It dazed her

for a bit but then she went

into high gear and made a

new beginning. Women

can do that because there

is always someone who

needs our nurturing. So

we pull ourselves up,

throw off the desire to

hide under the covers and

take one day at a time un-

til we forge a new routine

that allows us to live hap-

pily, regardless of the

longing for our loved one,

now gone, that hides in

every corner. Then we

sweep out the corner and

place the particles that

were there into our spe-

cial memory box in our

heart. And that brings

comfort.”

Mary Ann will be dear-

ly missed by many. She is

survived by her children

Michelle (Kelly Hall)

Metzger, Maure Ann

Metzger, Teresa (Todd)

Sanders, Antoinette (Bill)

Horrace, Madonna Swan-

son and Joey (Erin)

Metzger. She is also sur-

vived by her grandchil-

dren Jesse (Andrea), Troy

(Jacki), Janelle (Michael)

Danielle (Chad), Rebecca,

Lukas (Andi), Klaire Ann

(David), Jacob (Rebekah),

Benjamin (Kailey), Ava

(Dan) and Ian (Sara) and

her great-grandchildren,

Grant, Scarlett, JamesKel-

ly, Anthony, Mason, Vic-

toria, Micah, Tyler, Levi,

and soon, a precious new

great-granddaughter.

Also cherishing her

memory and missing her

deeply are many friends

near and far.

Mary Ann would want

you to live in the spirit

she did. No regrets, dye

your hair, wear cool

(Skechers!) shoes, pick up

pretty rocks, and follow

your dreams, no matter

what.

Graveside services will

be 9 a.m. Monday April 4,

2022 at Mountain View

Funeral Home and

Cemetery, 7900 E. Main

St, Mesa, AZ. Arrive in

time to go to front office

and ask where ceremony

will be held.

For those wishing to

make a gift in her

memory, family asks do-

nations be made to Doc-

tors Without Borders.