"I was sorry to hear of Mary's Passing, My condolences Jayne Bourque Zorza"
In loving memory of
MARY DePAUL BEAUCHAMP
April 11, 1957 - February 15, 2022
Mary DePaul Beauchamp, 64, of Bend, OR, made her celestial departure on February 15, 2022.
Mary was born April 11, 1957 to the late Donald and Joan (Miller) Beauchamp.
Mary always said her childhood was rich even though her family wasn't. Growing up in Marquette, learning how to swim in Lake Superior and having really good childhood friends was better than most childhoods she realized when she became an adult.
Mary was married in 1974 to her best friend, Milan Christi. She was whisked off to Offutt AFB, NE for a short time and then in 1976 followed her husband to Elmendorf AFB, AK. They divorced in 1980.
Mary had a life experience only a few thousand people experienced. She worked at Sohio/British Petroleum as a Materials Aide and had worked at Prudhoe Bay, AK. She had a blast. After 10 years of being away from the contiguous United States, and the winter's endless darkness, she was coaxed by her mom to move closer. Mary moved to Bend in 1986. It was a place of low wages and not much to do, so she looked for work outside of Bend in 1988. Mary was offered to work as a cook in the Antarctic; another dream of hers.
She ended up falling in love with her second husband, Kenneth Bain. They married in 1990. Stuff happens but the love remained. Mary and Ken divorced in 2000. Ken became ill in 2004 and Mary was by his side with his family until he passed in 2005. She loved him deeply.
Mary was a bleeding-heart liberal woman and a true activist in every sense of the word.
After completing her Associates Degree in Certified Medical Assisting in 2011, she was unable to work in the profession due to what was going to happen months later; Mary's 10-year battle with cancer started with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012 and then advanced to Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). In July 2021, she said she graduated to Acute Myelocytic Leukemia (AML) without a "cap & gown" by the way. Again, Mary's dry sense of humor.
She lived life to the fullest and had a very close friend of 46 years, Tom Wells, of Virginia, who had love and respect for Mary and enjoyed her dry sense of humor.
Mary wants to thank the staff at St. Charles Cancer Center, the infusion room (her home away from home), her oncologist, Dr. Todd Clover and the staff of St. Charles Medical Center's 4th floor. Also, to the Partners in Care in Bend for their hospice care.
A special thank you to her Uncle Norbert "Mike" Beauchamp, Aunt Norene Beauchamp and Aunt Joyce Reider, all of Marquette, Aunt Marie Rivord of Greenville, for the spiritual support they provided during her illness. She also would like to acknowledge her Uncle Jack Miller of Las Vegas, NV and Cousin Trish Ford of North Dakota for their emotional support.
Mary leaves behind her 4-legged boyfriend, "Oscar" the cat.
Cremation has taken place and she will be interred at the Beauchamp Family Grave at Holy Cross Cemetery in Marquette.
In lieu of flowers, please give to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS.org), American Cancer Society (cancer.org), St. Jude Children's Hospital (StJude.org) or Partners in Care (partnersbend.org/donation).
Mary's favorite drink was Cabo Wabo Tequila. Please raise a shot glass to celebrate Mary's life.
Canale-Tonella Funeral Home and Cremation Services are assisting with Mary's wishes locally where her obituary may be viewed at canalefuneral.com
Tributes
"My heart was broken when I read about Mary's passing. I have such fond memories of her. She was my very best friend in our school age days. She could make you laugh, cry, and see things differently. She was very open minded. Even at such an early age, I realized she was a free spirit. Throughout the years after Mary left the area, it's fair to say we both kept tabs on each other, not often but enough to realize we had a special bond, enough to pick up where we left off! We shared many, many, many secrets which I pinky promised to never reveal them - EVER. Now I think of her and smile at our youth and naivety. Our big plan was to start a girls band, become famous, and have a really cool apartment in Marquette. Ahh, the simple dreams of adolescence. I'm thinking now of the sweet memories we shared and to have a friend like Mary is indeed a treasure. My condolences and heartfelt sympathy go out to her family and friends who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her shining star. With much sadness I will always keep Mary in my heart. Shirl Keating (LeMaire)"