Mary passed away on June 1, 2023 surrounded by her loving family. Mary was born September 24, 1926 in Tampa, Florida to Tony and Rose Scaglione. She was raised in Tampa and loved the beaches and sunshine of her childhood. It was there that she met John Watne while he was stationed at MacDill, AFB in preparation for his service as a pilot in WWII. They married on November 20, 1944 in Tampa, FL before he left for Europe, and Mary lived in Great Falls, MT with his family while he was overseas.
After the war, they lived in Florida again for several years before returning to Great Falls, MT. With her husband John, she owned and operated the Mary Watne Center where she sold Shaklee products including supplements, health bars, shakes, cosmetics and cleaning supplies. They were married 57 years until John’s death in April 2002. On May 29, 2004 she married Joseph A. Hocevar in Great Falls, MT. They were married 18 years until his death in February 2023.
When the children were young she liked to sew, have coffee with the neighborhood moms, and attend children’s activities and sports. She enjoyed serving at the church, attending Bible Study groups including BSF until her mid-eighties. She liked playing pinochle with friends and family. She kept a garden of flowers and vegetables for many years. She loved dancing at the Elk's and Eagles with husband John and later with husband Joe.
Mary took great pride in being an immaculate housekeeper and was so proud of her lovely home. She loved to cook and to bake, and Mary’s Italian family spaghetti sauce, lasagna, chocolate cake with fudge frosting and Christmas cookies could not be topped. Her cooking was beloved by four generations of her family. She loved flowers, especially roses. Mary was a beautiful lady who could be feisty, but was always caring, forgiving, kind and compassionate. She loved to have fun and find joy, and she had the most amazing, infectious laugh.
Mary is survived by her sons, Ronald Watne and Richard Watne, both from Missoula, MT; her daughters, Carolyn (Jim) Carver of Malta, MT, and Christine (Michael) Stanish of Billings, MT; her step daughters, Judy Twedt of Great Falls, MT and Marcia Hocevar of Denver, CO; and her grand and great grandchildren, Casey (Shelley) Carver, of Manhattan, KS - Robby & Carys; Todd (Bobbie) Carver of Butte, MT - Payton, Addison & Haley; Stormy (Lichelle) Watne of Salt Lake City, UT- Emmett; Merilee Watne of Missoula, MT - Juniper & Cedar; Kim Watne of Mount Toursville, PA - Danae & Daven; Wally Watne of Missoula, MT - Kayle & Owen; Jonathan (Lauren) Stanish of New Fairfield, CT; Jordan Stanish of Billings, MT; Jenna (Shawn) Koble of Missoula, MT -Sierah & Wyatt; Alex (Mitchell) Umland of Missoula, MT.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Croxford Funeral Home website.
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