Mary Louise Wells

Mary Louise Wells went home to be with our Lord on May 30, 2024, with her children holding her hands. She had just celebrated her 95th birthday with over 60 family members and friends at a party she talked about for weeks after. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at the Torrington United Methodist Church, followed by burial at Valley View Cemetery in Torrington, Wyoming. Arrangements are under the direction of the Colyer Funeral Home and friends may send their condolences to the family at www.colyerfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials in her honor can be made to the Torrington United Methodist Church and the Wyoming Children’s Society. Mary was born on April 21, 1929, on the family ranch north of Cheyenne, Wyoming. She was the youngest child and only daughter of four children born to Jay C. and Mary J. (Bevan) Berry. She did her best to keep up with her older brothers and was a true ranch girl. With her brothers engaged in World War II, she became her father’s ranch hand and he gave her the nickname “Bill.” Mary was lovingly referred to as “Aunt Bill” by many of her nieces and nephews. In the fall of 1941, the Berry’s held their first annual bull sale. Mary loved this sale and she was proud of the fact she never missed attending a single sale. In 1946, Mary graduated from Cheyenne Central High School and then the University of Wyoming, receiving a bachelor’s degree in secretarial science. She was working at the Wyoming Department of Health when she met Elton E. Wells, a handsome farm boy from Huntley, Wyoming. On March 26, 1956, they married in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the couple settled in to farm together near Huntley. Mary’s ranching work ethic made her the perfect farm wife. She could run a tractor and chase down an escaped herd of cattle with the best of them. Where Mary shined the most was as a mother to the couple’s two children, Katy and Kelly. There was not one day in their lives they did not feel her love, although when needed, they might also feel a wooden spoon. She supported every activity in which they wanted to participate, even if it meant daily trips to town for lessons or practice. Later, she would shower her grandchildren with the same love and support. Mary enjoyed baking, gardening and canning. No visitor arrived without being thoroughly fed with her famous sticky rolls, banana bread, or sugar cookies. In the fall, Elton would hoist her up in the farm hand bucket and she picked buckets of apples which later filled the freezer with applesauce and sliced apples for pie and apple crisp. She made the best chokecherry and crabapple jelly. Any sweet corn not thieved by the raccoons was frozen to be enjoyed all winter. Her children, nieces and nephews all recall fond memories of helping with these endeavors. Mary loved the Lord and was a faithful member of the Torrington United Method Church for over 60 years. Mary attended church regularly so when life took her away from Torrington, she attended via Zoom. She was fiercely proud to be a Wyoming native. She is survived by her children Katy (Troy) and Kelly (Marty), five grandchildren, Brandon, Nicholas, Austin (Heather), Kaylee (Jalen), and Tanner (Charlotte); and five great-grandchildren Sophia, Adalynn, Lucas, Carter, and Legend. Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Elton; parents Jay and Mary Berry; her brothers and sister-in laws Jim and Beth Berry, D.C and Dorothy Berry, and Marvin and Margaret Berry.

Mary Louise Wells

April 21, 1929 - May 30, 2024