Mary Helen Kern, of Anderson, South Carolina, passed away on January 15, 2026, at the age of 90. Throughout her life, Mary shared her kindness, grace, compassion, appreciation of beauty, and the love of family with others... but most importantly she shared the love of Christ.

Mary was born on January 4, 1936, the eldest daughter of Frank and Mary Pearne in Pasadena California. She attended UC Santa Barbara College majoring in Art and Education. It was there she met her husband "Al", Thomas Elvin Kern. They married on February 21, 1959, and enjoyed 60 years of loving marriage until his passing in 2019. Together they raised seven children Elizabeth, Marianne, Cynthia, Thomas, Ana, Jon, and Mark and ensured they all received a proper education, but most importantly they were all raised up to know Christ through the Catholic Faith.

Mary excelled in creating a beautiful and gracious home that was both inviting and elegant. One of her homes was featured on the cover of Country Living Magazine in the 1980's. More importantly, Mary loved hosting family events, camping, hiking, stream fishing and more. Having her children, 21 grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren near brought her joy and delight.

Mary was an experienced gardener, a mural painter and an elegant home designer. Together, Mary and her husband Al worked on many professional projects within their community including a project close to her heart, the altar design at Saint James Catholic Church in Solana Beach, California.

Mary was a devout Catholic and demonstrated her faith daily by how she lived her life. She was a member of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelite Nuns in San Diego, California. Mary taught her children to live with love, kindness and faith. Her legacy will live on through the lives of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 9:00 am - 10:45 am at St. Joseph Catholic Church. The funeral mass will begin at 11:00 am with Father Philip Gillespie officiating. A meal will be provided at St. Joseph Parish Hall immediately following the Funeral Mass. Mary will be laid to rest next to her husband at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens, 2323 Hwy 81 North, Anderson, SC 29621 on February 28, 2026, at 11:00 am.

Condolences may be left for the family by visiting WWW.MCDOUGALDFUNERALHOME.COM