Mary Ann Kendziora

Mary Ann Kendziora, OFS, passed away on August 25, 2025, at 9:40 pm in Mishawaka, Indiana.

She was the daughter and only child of the late Larry and Lillian (Jerzakowski) Kendziora. She greatly enjoyed her many cousins in the St. Joseph, Michigan area and spending time at the beach. Other family members are Georgene Buchanan and Shirley Lauver, both of South Bend, IN.

Mary Ann worked for the South Bend city government for 22 years. She devoted over 11 years working as a Mental Health Liaison for the St. Joseph Superior Court. Her goal was to assist people in their time of need and distress. She then moved on to Workplace Development in the adult basic education unit, where she worked as a client specialist for another 11 years before retiring.

On November 16, 2002, Mary Ann professed into the Secular Franciscan Order and belonged to the Immaculate Conception Fraternity in Mishawaka, IN, for 23 years.

Mary Ann had an adventurous spirit, loving to travel and explore. One of her two favorite trips was in April 2021. Mary Ann was invited to work at the Franciscan Mission in Lusaka, Zambia, with Fr. Fritz O’Kelly, a Franciscan Friar.  Serenity House was a center for the treatment of addictions. Her second trip was on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje, Herzegovina.

Mary Ann was a member of St. Matthew Catholic Church in South Bend, IN. She led the rosary before Mass on Saturday afternoons.

A Mass of Christian burial is scheduled for Tuesday, September 16, 2025, at St. Matthew Cathedral at 11:00AM. A half hour before the service a Franciscan Crown Rosary will be prayed.

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