March 26, 2013
Mary Dillard

Our mom took off to the great beyond on March 21. She had been suffering from acute pneumonia so badly that her earthly body couldn’t take it anymore, so the Lord blessed her with her spiritual body. Now, our mom is zipping around, free from sickness. You may know our mom as Mary Padgen Dillard, but to many of us she is Mom. She was born in 1943 to Michael and Katheryn Padgen and was proudly raised and educated in Tooele. She was the youngest of five children, Theresa, Loretta, Mike and Tony. She loved and cared deeply for her siblings, which was a lesson she passed on to her children. She had 11 children: Jodie Munier, Kurt (Gladys) Dillard, Frank (Diana) Dillard, Tim (Martha) Dillard, Dorothy (Martin) Bosina, Jerry Eric (deceased), Sara (Kevin) Jeppesen, Jenifer Dillard (Jamie Ramos), Mary Anne Dillard (Brian Baker), Michael Dillard and Julie (Jake) Hallam. Mom’s children were the twinkle in her beautiful blue eyes. Our mom had a special gift with babies and could quiet even the fussiest of them with one of her specially made-up songs. She had 22 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren, with one on the way. She was very proud of her grandchildren as well as her many nephews and nieces. Our mom was married to her dear husband, Jerry Dillard, for almost 25 years before he passed in 1994. Four months after he died, her son, Jerry Eric, died in a car accident. These two tragic events forever changed our mother with each day being a special gift of God. Our mother attended St. Marguerite Catholic Church growing up. She was not devout in this religion, but was extremely spiritual. She had her own personal relationship with Jesus. We could write a book about how incredible our mother was to all, and how she was the most nonjudgmental person alive, how she was giving to a fault, and how she loved joking, laughing and bringing smiles upon the maddest or saddest of hearts. She could cook like no other and always cooked enough for an army. Basically our mother was the one you saw helping anyone that was asking for food, shelter or a hand. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Loretta, her brothers, Tony and Mike, her husband and her son. She had quite a loving group to greet her. Funeral services will be held March 29 at Tate Mortuary at 1 p.m. in Tooele. If we know our mom, she would want us to leave any sad hearts with the following song: “If by chance you meet a frown, do not let it stay, simply turn it upside down, and smile that frown away.”