Mary "Marie" Tiedemann

July 28, 1932 - May 26, 2020

Mary (Marie) Josephine Tiedemann – July 28, 1932 – May 26th, 2020 Mary (Marie) Josephine Tiedemann, age 87, died peacefully in her sleep on Tuesday, May 26th, 2020. Mary was born on July 28th, 1932 in Liverpool , England to Sarah and John Ealey. Mary was raised Irish Catholic and her faith was instrumental in how she lived her life. Her father, a submariner in the Royal Navy, kept the family in Liverpool until the Liverpool Blitz during World War II when the city experienced heavy and sustained bombing by the German Luftwaffe. Mary and three of her sibling’s sister Pat and brothers John and Fred were part of Operation Pied Piper evacuations designed to protect people, especially children, from the risks associated with aerial bombings. The country was divided into zones. Mary and her three siblings were evacuated to the Midlands and ultimately housed with foster families in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. Her mother and youngest brother Michael stayed behind in Liverpool waiting for her father to return home. Sadly her father’s submarine was bombed and he was killed. Sarah eventually joined her children in Bridgnorth and was successfully reunited with all of her children. Mary spent her formative years in Bridgnorth enjoying a modest, carefree childhood. She excelled in her studies and played netball and field hockey. After graduating from secondary school Mary went on to complete her training as a registered nurse in Shropshire county, England then studied an additional twelve months to become a public health nurse and certified midwife. Mary worked out of Westminister Hospital, a large training center in London. She made most of her twice-daily calls to homes via bicycle and she took a taxi for delivery calls. After working in London for about a year Mary had the urge to travel, so at the age 25 she boarded a ship to Australia where she worked as a midwife for a number of years. Eventually the travel bug struck and she once again boarded a ship this time to Canada where she continued to expand on her nursing studies at the University of British Columbia. This led to a job in Alaska where nurses were desperately needed. It was while working in Juneau she met Roland “Dutch” Tiedemann who was working for the US Forest Service. Roland and Mary were married on August 7th, 1971 in Vancouver BC. After working in Alaska Roland secured a job at the Lake Wenatchee Ranger District in Washington State. Roland and Mary started a family while living on Lake Wenatchee. Their daughter Jane Klara was born July 23, 1973, and their son, John Nicholas, was born March 30, 1976. Of course Mary ensured Roland was well versed in childbirth by attending Lamaze classes so that he understood what to expect throughout pregnancy and when she went into labor. Mary was adamant that fathers should not only be aware of the natural process of childbirth BUT should be allowed in the delivery room something that was not a common practice at that time. In 1978 the family moved to Wenatchee and in 1980 Mary began working part-time as a migrant school nurse at the Chelan Douglas Health District. She was one of a two person team and her colleagues reported she was a wonderful “back seat driver” as they would toodle along to different schools in Chelan county. Mary eventually transitioned to a full time First Steps nurse continuing to do so until she retired soon after her 70th birthday. She had a wonderful work ethic and expected her co-workers to as well. Mary being a staunch Catholic would often have her co-workers send condoms to her Frist Step Clients, because she in good faith could not promote birth control. Her colleagues still laugh about that to this day. The health department was like family and she taught three of her coworkers to quilt one snowy January day in 1996. When asked how much fabric to buy she insisted that they always buy two yards. It was determined that only a small amount of fabric was needed so they devised a plan to distract Mary while they checked out. Mary was a spitfire and those who worked with her loved her like a sister. Mary had a deep devotion to her Catholic faith and often went to church several days a week before heading to water aerobics at the YMCA. Mary instilled and passed along many English traditions (roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, marmite, Christmas crackers, tea and fish and chips) as well as her love for travel to her children. She visited her daughter Jane in Malawi in 1999 where she was serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer and without being asked joined the nurses in the pediatric unit assisting with complicated cases and sharing her wisdom with the staff. Mary also traveled to Japan in 2003 where her son John was teaching English in Iwakuni. Mary encouraged her children to embrace cultures, expand their knowledge and do the hard things. Education was important to her and she ensured her children had the opportunities to learn, grow and become good humans. She supported her children in forming their own values even when they did not align with hers. She taught them autonomy and independence and that sometimes life hurts. In 2006 when Mary learned she was going to be a grandmother her midwife instincts kicked in and she provided Lamaze classes to her daughter and son in law Quincy, assisted throughout the complicated pregnancy and welcomed Jayna Morning Davis proudly on May 13, 2007. Jayna adored her mama and looked forward to every visit and every sleepover. When Quincy passed away and the family moved back to Wenatchee Mary made sure she and Roland saw Jayna daily and were instrumental in her childhood. In 2017, her second grandchild, Declan Tashiro Tiedemann, was born, and although he will never really know his grandmother he will have the stories and photos to remember her by and will without a doubt carry on her sense of adventure. Mary lived a full life. Was ALWAYS true to herself. Created incredible opportunities. Never compromised her values. Was kind to others. Took risks. Told the truth even when it wasn’t politically correct. Lived in the present. The list goes on. As we try to adjust to the world without Mary the memories we have with her and the lessons we learned will resonate and continue to shape how we choose to live our own lives. Mary is survived by her two children, Jane Davis of Steamboat Springs, CO and John (Tracey) Tiedemann of Pleasant Hill, CA; granddaughter Jayna; grandson Declan; brother Fred (Wendy) Ealey of Bridgnorth, England; brother-in-law Bill Barritt of Bridgnorth, England; sister- in law Rosalinde Milazzo of Chapel Hill, NC; sister-in-law Elizabeth Tiedemann of Staten Island, NY; sister-in-law Claire Tiedemann of Oceanside, CA; numerous nieces nephews and friends who will miss her dearly. Mary was preceded in death by her husband Roland; her father and mother John and Sarah Ealey; daughter Ann Tiedemann; sister Pat Barritt; brother John and his wife Joan Ealey; brother Michael Ealey; brother-in-laws Norbert and Anton Tiedemann; and son-in-law Quincy Davis. Due to Covid-19 a funeral will not take place at this time. May Mary rest in peace and find shelter with the angels until we meet again. Please express your thoughts and memories on the online guest book at jonesjonesbetts.com. Arrangements are by Jones and Jones – Betts Funeral Home, Wenatchee, WA.