Mary Rose Tuven

Private family services will take place at a later date for Mary Rose Tuven, 83, who passed away peacefully on July 19, 2022. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of more than 50 years, Charles Kelso Hoag. Survivors include her daughter, Andrea Hoag, Lawrence, step-daughter, Isabelle Hoag, Shoreview, Minn., granddaughter Alana Briggs (Max), Wellsville, grandson, Miles Kelso Branch, Vermillion, SD, cousin, Cathy Pihale Fox (Joe), Owatonna, MN, and her Norway cousins.

Ms. Tuven was born in Mankato, MN, the only child of Oddmund Tuven and Florence Pihale Tuven. After graduating from Minnesota State University, she played viola with the Oklahoma City Symphony, where she met and married Charley. The couple moved to Lawrence when he accepted a faculty position in the School of Music at the University of Kansas. Mary received her Master’s in viola performance at KU and enjoyed a long career playing in the Kansas City Symphony.

Mary was active in the lives of her grandchildren; between their music programs and sporting events, Alana & Miles were the light of her life.

The ultimate auto-didact who may have just as easily pursued a career as an editor or reference librarian, Mary was known to read widely on subjects as varied as archaeology, biographies of artists and writers, politics, and ancient languages. She loved nothing better than a well-written mystery. Two days before her death, her daughter suggested she be seen at the hospital, to which Mary replied: “don’t get any wild ideas,” whereupon she selected another Cara Black novel from her teetering stack of library books and completed it in one sitting. This perfectly exemplifies Mary’s grit and wry sense of humor.

Her pets were important to Mary throughout her life; her family asks that donations be made in Mary’s honor to the Lawrence Humane Society, ℅ Warren-McElwain, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044.

The family would like to single out for special thanks the doctors who cared for Mary, including Dr. Donald Hatton, Dr. Eric Huerter, Dr. Luke Huerter and Dr. Douglas Klingler for their excellent care. Special thanks as well, to Mary’s former son-in-law, Marvin, of whom she remained fond, for his enduring friendship.