Mary Patricia Forsberg

Mary was born on June 21, 1947 in Austin, MN to Joseph and Dorothy (Riley) Flanagan. She attended school in Austin before the family moved to Hastings, MN. She graduated from Hastings High School in 1965. Mary married Gary Forsberg on October 5, 1968 and was a stay at home mom running a day care while her husband went to college to become a minister. Together they had four children. The family moved to St. Louis, MO and later Woodbury, PA where Gary had his first church. The family later moved back to Minnesota. Later, as a single mother, she went back to school at Dakota County Technical College graduating with a 4.0 GPA in Accounting. Upon graduation, she was hired at Thomson-Reuters in Eagan where she remained until she retired in 2012. She was a member of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Maplewood, MN.

Mary was the most precious soul and was beautiful inside and out. She loved her children fiercely and they knew it. Even when they drove her crazy and tested her patience, she continued to love and support them. They know they had the best mom ever. Mary’s favorite thing to do was to be with her grandchildren. She was there for as many of their activities as she could and was so proud of them. She was the fun grandma who would play with her grand babies, let them make messes, and loved to read to them. She bragged about them every where she went. When she wasn’t loving on those babies, she could be found crocheting, doing cross word puzzles, playing on her tablet and sewing. She made blankets and hats for the homeless. When Dawn and her husband Chris decided to be foster parents, she loved on those kids as well, making each one of them a blanket and supporting them in their activities as well. She had the biggest heart.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Dorothy Flanagan; step-mother, Irene Flanagan; sister-in-law, Maureen Flanagan; and her dear sister and partner in crime, Joanne Gabbert.

She leaves behind so many people that loved her dearly. She is survived by her children who have a hole in their heart that can never be filled: Dawn (Christopher) Brown, Sartell, MN; Todd Forsberg, Oakdale, MN; Josh (Jessie) Forsberg, West St. Paul, MN; and TJ (Brooke) Forsberg, Oakdale, MN. She also leaves behind her grandchildren who loved her endlessly: Whitney (David) Rodriguez and Ashlyn, Jackson Brown, Theodore Brown, Payton Brown, Natalie Forsberg, Maya Forsberg, Levi Forsberg, Alex Forsberg, Keisha (Andrew) Peterson; DeAndre (Brittany) Brown and Briella; Alex (Kayla) Huston-Roehl and Abel. She is also survived by many other foster grandchildren who loved her so much. She is also survived by her big sister and trusted confident, Peg (Jim) Caturia; her dear brothers, John Flanagan, Patrick (Anne) Flanagan; brother-in-law Richard Gabbert; step-brothers, Bob and John Hanson and step-sister, Jane Hanson. She also leaves behind several nieces and nephews who loved their Aunt Mary.

Memorial Gathering of Family and Friends will be THURSDAY, November 14, 2019, 4-8 pm at Wulff Funeral Home, 2195 Woodlane Dr, Woodbury. Memorial Service will be FRIDAY, November 15, 2019, 11 am with Visitation 1 hour prior at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1390 Larpenteur Ave. E, St. Paul. Interment will be with her parents at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Cemetery in Hastings, MN.

The family would like to thank the caring staff at United Hospital in St. Paul in both the cardiology unit and oncology unit for her care during her hospital stay.

In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred. The family will make donations in memory of Mary to the following organizations: Ashland Productions in Maplewood, MN; The St. John’s Boys Choir in Collegeville, MN; St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Hope for the Holidays (A donation drive for the homeless).