Mary L. Conner

Mary Louise (Parmenter) Conner was born to Clarence and Dorothy Parmenter on August 18, 1946. Mary passed away just before 6:45 a.m. on Friday, December 19, 2025, with family by her side at her home, Havenwood Care Center.

Mary grew up in Cass Lake, Minnesota, with her parents and siblings—Deloris, Bonnie, Diane, Wayne, and Casey. The family owned Parmenter’s Tavern.

Mary Lou married Ronald Conner on June 23, 1967. Mary and Ron lived in Cass Lake, where they raised three children while running multiple businesses. Mary worked various jobs and, after having children, devoted herself to being a stay-at-home mom—a 365-days-a-year, 24-hours-a-day job.

In her early 30s, Mary was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Though MS changed her life and took much from her, Mary never gave up. She fought MS daily for 45 years and was also a Breast Cancer survivor.

Due to the toll MS took on her body, Mary moved into assisted living at Gold Pine and later to Havenwood Care Center in Bemidji, where she resided for the past 20 years. Mary loved to “shoot the shit” and give people a hard time, fully expecting it in return. She was fortunate to have wonderful CNAs, LPNs, RNs, and activity staff at Havenwood who gladly put up with her banter.

Mary enjoyed attending church, singing, playing bingo and Bananagrams, and was extremely social. She also loved attending Happy Hour.

Mary is survived by her oldest daughter, Tia (Aaron) Barthorpe; her middle son, William “Billy” Conner; and her youngest daughter, Kyla Conner. Her grandchildren include Ashlan (Adam) Barthorpe; Karisa (Wil) Neururer; Trent (Jeffrey) Barthorpe; Desaree (Isaiah) Stowe; Chase Conner; Emeree Conner; Sydney Conner; Toree Conner; and Zavree Conner. Her great-grandchildren include Briella, Natalie, Oliver, Alex, and Baylor.

Mary selflessly donated her body to the University of Minnesota for medical research to aid in finding answers for Multiple Sclerosis.

The family would like to thank the past and present staff of Havenwood for the care and love they provided to our mother and grandmother over the past 20 years. Mary’s remarkable journey was a testament to her unwavering resilience and unrelenting spirit. Her legacy will live on through the countless lives she touched and the memories she created. Mary’s story is a shining example of hope and inspiration, reminding us that even in the darkest moments, there is always a way forward. Mary’s family and friends will deeply miss her, but they will continue to celebrate her life and the incredible impact she had on their world.

A visitation and memorial service will be held at Havenwood Care Center on December 29, 2025. Visitation will begin at 1:00 p.m., followed by the memorial service at 2:00 p.m. A light coffee hour will follow at 1633 Delton Ave. NW, Bemidji, MN 56601.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary L. Conner, please visit our floral store.