Mari Kay (Schiller) Wieser passed away in her home 46 hours shy of her 65th birthday as her husband and oldest daughter held her hands. She was born in Grafton, North Dakota, on May 8, 1958, to Frank and Phyllis (Cierzon) Schiller. Mari graduated from high school in Minto, North Dakota, in 1977 and entered the convent at Maryvale that fall. She was the first one to enter the convent near Valley City, North Dakota, in nearly 15 years. As a nun, she trained at North Dakota State University and worked in inhalation and respiratory therapy at community hospitals in Valley City and Harvey, North Dakota. She was working with the Open Door Center in Valley City when she chose to leave the convent in 1987. She continued to work with patients at the Open Door and later at the High Soaring Eagle Ranch in Valley City.
In 2001, she met Ted Wieser while volunteering at a North Dakota National Guard Christmas party. They married November 8, 2002, on her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The following November, Ted was alerted for Iraq. Mari managed things at home as not only her husband but two children left on a 15-month combat deployment.
In 2007, a month after Ted retired, Mari also retired. They enjoyed traveling to locations across the United States and took a Caribbean cruise. Their love grew stronger each year, and it wasn’t unusual for someone to comment on the visible strength of their love for one another.
Mari only loved God more than Ted, and she continued to serve Him. She was a member of Epworth United Methodist Church in Valley City.
She is survived by the love of her life, Ted, of Valley City, as well as her stepchildren: Amy (Jack) Wieser Willson, of Ottertail, Minnesota; Jill (Scott) Kuster, of Thompson, North Dakota; and Matthew Wieser, of Valley City. She’s survived by six grandchildren: Shaunn, Chloee, Ashtynn, Bentley and Paizley Wieser, of Valley City, and Katelyn Kuster, of Thompson. She’s also survived by her sister, Leslie (Jim) Durkin, of Bemidji, Minnesota; brother Grant (Kristin) Schiller, of Grand Forks, North Dakota; nieces Nicole (Ross) Johnson and Kaitlin Durkin, and nephew Jake (Stephanie) Schiller.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her nephew, Patrick Durkin.
Visitation will be held in Epworth United Methodist Church, Valley City, on Thursday, May 11 from 5:00-7:00 pm with a prayer service beginning at 7:00. The funeral service will be 11:00 AM, Friday, May 12, 2023, at Epworth. She will be laid to rest in the ND Veteran’s Cemetery in Mandan, ND. The services will be live streamed, then archived, on a link provided along with her obituary on her tribute page at www.lerudmathias.com An online guestbook is available there as well.