Mary Tilden

Wichita, Kansas – Mary Jean (MJ) Bond Tilden, 93, of Wichita passed away peacefully on Thanksgiving, November 26, 2020, to be united with her Savior. She was born on August 20, 1927 to Dale and Myrtle (Swedlund) Bond of Winterset, Iowa.

After MJ’s family moved to Ames, Iowa, she graduated from Ames High School and then, in 1949, from Iowa State College (now University) with a home economics education major.  On July 29, 1950, she married Robert Cooper Tilden in Ames.  While Bob attended the University of Iowa College of Law, MJ taught home economics at Kalona (Iowa) High School.  After Bob graduated from law school, they moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a short time before Bob enlisted in the Army JAG Corp.  Following Bob’s service and stints in Fort Riley, Kansas and Charlottesville, Virginia, MJ and Bob moved back to Cedar Rapids in 1955 to raise their growing family.

While raising her four children, MJ was active in the community and her church.  She was president of the Erskine Elementary PTA and, for many years, was the wedding coordinator at Westminster Presbyterian Church. MJ returned to teaching high school Home Economics at Jefferson High School in 1966-1969. In the years following, MJ served on the Board at Kingston Hill Home for Aged Women, was involved with Pi Beta Phi Alumni and PEO Chapter JT, and later, Bible Study Fellowship. When MJ wasn’t busy with family and friends, she enjoyed investigating new hobbies such as gardening, wallpapering, refinishing furniture, and calligraphy.

MJ is remembered for her bread making!  There was nothing like smelling the fresh baked bread, cutting off a warm piece and lathering on the butter. She taught all of her children the art of breadmaking, including hand kneading – no machines for her.  She also gifted several of the grandchildren with her bread recipe. Her Christmas braids were another special treat given to family and friends during the holidays.

MJ was an accomplished seamstress, making clothes for her three daughters and herself, including tailored suits.  Trying to pass down her sewing knowledge and talent was not without difficulty.  She recovered and repaired more than one partially finished garment from the wastebasket in order to encourage another effort. However, MJ’s tenacity and patience were not always met with the deserved appreciation.

She, Bob and their son enjoyed playing golf on nice summer evenings.  However, on one occasion, she was not very popular with her son when she burst out laughing after he whiffed his drive on the first tee.

MJ and Bob were avid supporters of all their children’s activities, but MJ would, on occasion, let her feelings be known to their coaches.  After a fourth-grade basketball game, she told her son’s coach to call her ahead of time if he was not going to put her son in the game so she would not waste her time coming to the game.  After a devasting loss for her youngest daughter’s high school basketball team in a sub-state game, MJ charged across the court to confront the head coach about his failure to do any coaching or to encourage the girls.  The next day when she went to apologize to the coach, she was met by an assistant coach who told her that he agreed with what she said the night before.

After Bob retired, MJ and Bob spent winters at their home in Florida, visited their children and grandchildren and traveled with friends.  They spent nearly 60 years together until Bob passed away on October 12, 2009.  MJ was the light of Bob’s world and he was of hers.  They have now been reunited for eternity.

MJ is survived by her four children and their families:  Nancy T. Burianek, husband Jon Burianek, son Jason (Michelle) Burianek and their three children, and daughter Elsa (Garet) Havel and their two children; Susan T. Adams, husband Jim Adams, daughter Elizabeth (Esteban) Labrin and their two children, and daughter Jessica Adams; James C. Tilden, wife Becky Tilden, and son Daniel (Holly) Tilden and their son; and Sarah T. Enger, husband Gregg Enger, daughter Stefanie Enger, and son Collin Enger.  She is also survived by her brother William D. Bond and his wife, Faye, of Holly, Michigan, and many nieces and nephews.

Private family services will be held to celebrate MJ’s long and full life, to remember her as a loving and caring mother, grandmother and great grandmother and to recall the important and not-so-important moments of her life with laughter and tears.

Gifts in memory of Mary (MJ) Tilden may be made to the following organizations:

Mercy Foundation

c/o Robert and Mary B. Tilden Endowment Fund

701 10th St. SE

Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403

Mayo Clinic

Department of Development

200 First Street SW

Rochester, MN  55905

Or online:  https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donatemc

Tribute line: Indicate it’s a memorial gift

Memorial Set Up with Encouragers Sunday School

Central Christian Church

2900 N. Rock Road

Wichita, KS 67226

Memo line: Memorial for Mary Tilden

A pictorial tribute to MJ and her well-lived life can be found at www.cozine.com.