Born: Friday Jan-28-1938
Died: Friday Oct-16-2015
Funeral: Thursday Oct-22-2015

Morrison Funeral Home
& Crematory
188 S. Hwy 24
Rupert, Idaho 83350
Contact and Directions

The Oklahoma Cherokee nation was blessed by the birth of a beautiful baby girl, Mary Lee Buerkle (Bryan), born on January 28, 1938 in Webbers Falls, Oklahoma to Ileene Villines and Clayton Bryan. Mary Lee was taken to King Hill, Idaho to live with her father when she was 4 years old. They then moved to Albion and she graduated from Declo High school in 1956. She lived in Albion after graduating, where she married Robert Smith and eventually relocated to the Wood River Valley, where she lived until 1974. During this time she gave birth to four children. When she and Robert separated, Mary Lee moved her and her children back to the Mini-Cassia area, to Burley, Idaho. She was employed as a secretary with Minidoka Farms and then Lockwood in Rupert. She later moved to Rupert in 1976 when she bought her very first home. Her children we were so excited to move into a brand new house, a house no one had lived in before. Mary Lee was so proud that she did it on her own.

Shortly after the move to Rupert she met and fell in love with her soul mate and man of her dreams, Arlen Buerkle. They married on June 19, 1976 and created a beautiful family with five children. They then continued to make Rupert their home. In 1978, they moved to the Buerkle family homestead in Heyburn where they finished raising their two youngest of those five children. Mary Lee drove school bus for the Minidoka County School District; she was a store clerk at Marv’s Market and later worked at Wonderbread in Heyburn.
When their kids graduated high school and moved on to begin new chapters in their lives, Arlen and Mary became “empty nesters”. Arlen worked security for Pinkerton and Mary was a stay at home wife who loved to create beautiful cakes, crafts, quilts and trinkets. Mary loved to create from craft books and photos she saw. Arlen retired from Pinkerton and they decided to follow a new dream. Twelve years ago, they designed, constructed and opened “Country RV Village”.

The RV Park was their life. They loved the RV Park and building it to its success together. They worked so hard. Side by side they made another dream come true. Mary handmade trinkets, scarves and unique craft items to sell in the park's gift shop. Each item had that special “Mary’s touch”. Arlen carefully managed the grounds at the park and befriended every traveler who stopped. Together, they always made sure each guest's visit was an enjoyable one. They made the guests feel like family; Mary cooked many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and invited park guests to their table. When guests could not be with their families, Mary and Arlen became their family.

Mary loved to go camping, hunting and fishing with Arlen and family members. Mary and Arlen were in-separable. Some of her favorite memories were spending time fishing a Lake Cleveland, Lake Walcott and American Falls Reservoir. Mary had many fish stories to tell. She loved the pristine beauty and the peacefulness of the lake’s surroundings and the outdoors.

Mary was a very beautiful woman, a wonderful, loving wife to Arlen and a beautiful, giving mother of 5 children; Albert Smith (Mud Lake, ID), Ileene Wendland (Hailey, ID), Robbi Maccarillo (Bellevue, ID), Jenny Howard (Safford, AZ) and Tonya Goitiandia (Bellevue, ID); Mary was also a grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 12.
During Mary’s last days on this earth she asked that we publish for her, “To all of my fisherman friends, and you know who you are, I have had a wonderful 77 years. When you throw in your last hook, I hope you catch a Lunker! Because I’m in heaven now, fishing the heavenly waters. Good Luck!”

A Memorial Service will be held to celebrate Mary Lee’s Life at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, October 22, 2015 at the Morrison Funeral Home 188 South Highway 24 in Rupert.