Mary Lofstrom

• 

Lofstrom Mary Lofstrom. June 4, 1965 - October 20, 2003. Seattle jazz vocalist and former Mankato resident Mary Lofstrom lost her battle to Scleroderma and Ovarian Cancer on October 20, 2003, at the age of 38 in the comfort of her home surrounded by Love, Light, Peace, and God. Mary was the ninth child born to Dr. Dennis Lofstrom and Dorothy Lofstrom on June 4, 1965, in Minneapolis, MN, and grew up on the family's five hundred acres just south of Brainerd, MN. She graduated from Brainerd High School in 1983, moving to St. Peter then Mankato, MN, while she pursued a degree in Art History. She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College with Honors in 1987. In 1988 she met Coralie Janssen Sween in whom she found a soul-mate; the two celebrated their bond by exchanging marital vows in a Commitment Ceremony in Mankato on July 14, 1990. Shortly thereafter they moved to Seattle. After many years of studying and performing vocal jazz, Mary recorded her first CD, "My Secret Joy" in 1997. As a songwriter and vocalist, Mary's approach was lyrical and melodic and she viewed her voice as a talking horn - preferably the trumpet. Mary was diagnosed with Scleroderma in August 2001, but continued to work part-time at the Seattle Art Museum and also to follow her passion - her music, recording her second CD, "Ginger Comes to Stay" in the summer of 2002. She was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer in October 2002. "Ginger Comes to Stay" was the recipient of the 2003 OUTMUSIC Award for Outstanding New Recording - Female. Some of the things that brought Mary "Joy" - Birds in the morning, piano jazz, hot summer days, the smell of lavender, dreams in sleep, Coralie's soft eyes, the crunch of tires on gravel, sudden bird calls, the squeak of tennis shoes on a basketball court, the fresh smell of pine needles. There was something about Mary's essential nature that would always evoke a deep love for the land on which she grew up and her willingness to champion friends and loved ones. Mary seemed to bring a sense of meaning and vision into all the lives she touched. "A lively understandable spirit Once lived in you. It will come again. Be Still. Wait." -- Theodore Roethke, from "The Lost Son" Mary leaves behind her beloved, Coralie; mother, Dorothy; father, Dennis and his wife, Paula; six brothers: Mark, David, Peter, Tim, Paul, and Joel; four sisters: Heidi Grimes, Shawn Lofstrom, Lori Tomatz, and Beth Nelson; nieces and nephews; her mother-in- Law, Marilyn Sween, and a Community of Friends in Seattle, Palm Springs, and Minnesota. She was preceded in death by her maternal and paternal grandparents; and one niece. Kiira. A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, October 29th, 2:00 pm at the First Congregational Church, 415 Juniper Street - Brainerd, MN 56401. A Visitation, Prayer Service, and a Celebration of Mary's Life were all held in Seattle during the week of October 20th. Remembrances can be made to the Scleroderma Research Foundation, 2320 Bath Street, Suite 315, Santa Barbara, CA 93105.

Published on October 23, 2003