Mary Jean Kearsley Berger returned home to her Heavenly Father on November 22, 2018 following a brave battle with brain cancer. She was at home surrounded by her husband and loving family at the time of her passing.

Mary Jean Kearsley was born March 28, 1940 in Driggs, Idaho to Lorin Preston Kearsley and Phyllis Mary Hatch Kearsley. Mary was raised in Victor, Idaho attending Victor Elementary, and Teton High School. She attended Ricks College and Utah State University where she graduated with a BS degree in Home Economics Education.

After graduation, Mary took a teaching position at Fruita High School, in Fruita, Colorado. While there, Mary met Eugene I. Place who she later married on November 27, 1963 in the Idaho Falls, Idaho LDS Temple. Eugene had three young daughters, Kimberly Ann, Nancy Dawn, and Amber Lucille who often spent weekends and summer vacations with Mary and Eugene.

Mary taught at Kearns Jr. High School in Kearns, Utah and did some substitute teaching in Kennewick, Washington and Hamer, Idaho. She also taught for 10 years at West Jefferson High School. Mary and Eugene added four more children, Lara, Justin Daniel, Bart Thomas, and Irvin Eugene. Irvin was born prematurely and died shortly after birth. Mary and Eugene were later divorced but remained friends and enjoyed 13 grandkids.

Mary was a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many positions throughout her wards and stakes over the years. She served an LDS mission in the Canada Winnipeg Mission (2002 –2004) and served 8 1/2 years as an Ordinance Worker in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple.

Mary loved to travel and visited nearly every state in the United States as well as Asia, Africa, North, Central, and South America, Europe, and Australia. The only continent she did not visit was Antarctica, which she just missed when visiting Southern Chili.

Mary reconnected with Gene Raymond Berger, a lifetime friend in the winter of 2014 and the two were married June 12, 2015 in the Rexburg Idaho Temple. With this union, Mary added five more children, 18 grandchildren and several great grandchildren.

Mary is survived by her husband Gene Raymond Berger, children Lara P. Marler, Justin Daniel (Tara) Place, and Bart Thomas (Jolyn) Place, thirteen grandchildren, a sister Nita (Donnell-deceased) Hunter and sister- in-law RaVoe (Gene) Christensen. She is also survived by her step-children: Kimberly Ann (Pat) Fowler, Nancy Dawn Place, Sandra (Garth) Hamblin, Kim (Ron) Lindstrom, Jeannie (Marc) Nix, Jacqueline (Jeff) Hunt and William (Kimberly) Berger, eighteen grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Preston Neil Kearsley, son Irvin Eugene Place, and step-daughter Amber Heisler.

Funeral services will be held Saturday December 1, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. in the Ashton LDS Stake Center, 516 North 2nd Street. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Baxter Funeral Home, 717 Main Street, in Ashton, and again Saturday from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the stake center prior services. Burial will be in the Pineview Cemetery in Ashton Idaho.