Mary Kender, 66, died peacefully in her Broomall, PA home on April 29, 2023 after a 21-month battle with cancer.

Mary was born to Joseph and Kay Keenan in 1956 in Cleveland, OH with—we were frequently told—her hands on her hips, presaging the stubbornness, defiance, and vivacity that would mark her life.

As the oldest sister in a family of seven children, leadership was thrust upon her at an early age, but she found it fitted comfortably. Along with the responsibilities, Mary enjoyed leadership's privileges, such as the right to put up her legs on the backseat on long drives or pre-dawn negotiations to swap Christmas presents under the tree.

In adulthood, Mary juggled a demanding career and a child while putting herself through college, earning a degree in healthcare administration, magna cum laude, from Neumann College. There, her insatiable curiosity tangled with topics as wide ranging as feminist literature and Russian language studies. When the professor of the latter informed her that he had never given an "A" to a woman before in this particular class, you can be sure who earned an "A" by semester's end.

The consummate caretaker, Mary's professional path took her from candy striper to nurse, head nurse, administrator, then executive director of multiple senior living facilities. Caring for the elderly and allowing for dignity in old age was her great work. Even later, post-retirement and deep into cancer treatment, she was still stopping the car in the grocery store parking lot to give seniors a ride home rather than letting them walk alone in the summer heat. Once, when asked about her dogged devotion through all the long years of her career, she replied that when she looked at her residents she thought about how they were once someone's child and that they deserved to be loved at the end of their lives as they were at the beginning.

Mary is survived by her loving husband, Mikael Nordstrom; her son, David, and his wife, Kelly; her grandson, Charlie; and her six siblings: Robert and his wife, Marie; Patrick; Nell and her husband, Michael; Kathleen; Jane; and Michael; as well as many nieces and nephews.

We will miss her deeply.

In lieu of flowers, we encourage you to make a donation to St. Jude Children's Hospital ( www.stjude.org ).

Visitation will take place at Rigby Harting & Hagan Funeral Home ( 15 E. 4th St. Media, PA 19063 ), on Saturday, June 17, 2023 at 11 A.M., followed by a 12 P.M. memorial service. Afterward, please join us for a celebration of life luncheon at the Towne House ( 117 Veterans Square, Media, PA 19063 ) from 1 P.M. to 4 P.M.