Mary Elizabeth (Clausen) McNett met her Heavenly Father on September 12, 2026, at her home in Cedar, Michigan, following a two-year battle with leukemia. Born on September 29, 1949, Mary brought joy, laughter, and light to the world for 76 years.

She grew up in Suttons Bay, Michigan, with her two sisters, Dagny and Laura, and her loving parents, Haakon and Realpha. Mary’s early years were shaped by her rich Norwegian heritage. She learned to make Norwegian pancakes, potato balls, and julekage (Norwegian Christmas bread), among other traditional dishes. To this day, her grandchildren appreciate the recipes from her youth that were handed down over the generations.

Her childhood dreams of building a home and starting a family were realized when Mary and Fred Sorensen, the father of her children, bought a cherry farm in Cedar. The fruit wasn’t the only thing that blossomed under her care. Along with Fred, she raised four incredible daughters, growing her brood on the beautiful property where she would live out the remainder of her days.

A tireless worker, Mary was a TCAPS school bus driver for 50 years, until the day she was diagnosed with leukemia. Her fierce dedication to her driving career made her a trusted public servant and resourceful provider for her loved ones. In the summer, she learned to drive a semi truck to supplement her income while also working at Cherry Bay Orchards, and effortlessly juggled both work and homemaking. During the school year, Mary cherished her bus driving community, and catching up with her friends at the bus garage was always a highlight of her day.

Mary’s faith was everything to her. Her commitment to God was reflected in every thought, word, and action. A lifelong member of Immanuel Lutheran Church, she was a devout Christian and often quoted meaningful Bible verses that she learned as a child and continued to resonate with her as an adult. She tithed generously every Sunday and sang with her whole heart in the church choir. Her operatic voice honored God inside and outside the church walls, as she was known to unexpectedly break into song.

She maintained a healthy social life at the Classic Car Club and Coffee Club with her late husband, Lin McNett. They enjoyed outings, trips, and meals with their large circle of friends. Being the gracious host that she was, Mary made everyone who entered her home feel safe, cared for, and most importantly, fed. Her proficiency in the kitchen preceded her, and anyone who was lucky enough to experience her cooking and baking hoped for an invitation to return.

Mary was a fervent dog lover and channeled her passion for pups into a rewarding breeding business. She bred hundreds of dogs in multiple breeds and was famous for the abundance of furry friends in her household.

Though she was a busy woman, Mary’s greatest devotion was to her family. Not only did she nurture her own daughters, but she helped raise 23 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren who were the lights of her life. She passed down lifelong skills of baking, sewing, cleaning, pianoplaying, and card-playing, and instilled in them the value of hard work.

Mary loved deeply, worked diligently, saved prudently, baked artfully, played hard, lived loudly, gave selflessly, and through it all, built an unshakable family bond with all who came after her. A true matriarch in every sense of the word. The loss of Mary is immeasurable, but her presence will be felt at every card table, choir practice, car show, coffee hour, and family dinner. Her hearty laugh, independent (stubborn) spirit, and wry sense of humor will never be forgotten, and her vibrant personality shined until the very end.

She leaves behind her sister, Laura Clausen, her daughters and sons-in-law, Shelley (George Stacy) Sorensen, Katy (Mark) Rosa, Heidi (Jim) Schramski, and Suzy ( Jason) Buttleman, her nieces, Lindsay LePow and Meredith Aleccia, her two stepdaughters, her stepson-inlaw, her 22 grandchildren, and her nine great-grandchildren. In Heaven, she joins her parents, her husband, her sister, Dagny Durdel, and her granddaughter, Angel Stacy.

Mary’s storied legacy lives on with the children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren into whom she endlessly poured, who vow to uphold her largerthan-life memory.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, September 20, at Martinson’s Funeral Home in Suttons Bay from 12 pm - 1 pm. The funeral service will commence at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Suttons Bay at 2 pm on September 20, with a luncheon in the church basement immediately following.

All are welcome.

Memorials may be directed to Immanuel Lutheran Church, PO Box 206, Suttons Bay, MI 49682 and / or Cherryland Humane Society, 1750 Ahlerg Drive, Traverse City, MI 49686.

Please share condolences with the family at www.martinson.info Arrangements are with the Martinson Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Leelanau.