On Monday, July 19, 2021, Mary Lou Sebesta Warren, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a friend to many, passed away at the age of 88. Mary Lou was born in 1932 in Blooming Prairie, MN, to John and Elizabeth (Dusek) Skalisky. She was raised and attended school in the Steel County Blooming Prairie area and then graduated from Owatonna High School in 1950. In 1953 Mary Lou was united in marriage to John Sebesta, and in 1955 they moved to Rochester, MN.  Mary Lou was a teacher in a one-room school house in Blooming Prairie and also Douglas, MN. In 1971 she achieved her Bachelor of Science degree from Winona State University and went on to teach at Pinewood Elementary School in Rochester until 1988. Following the death of her husband John in 1984, Mary Lou married James Warren of Stewartville, MN, in 1987.

Mary Lou loved to travel, golf, garden, cook, bake, sew, and volunteer. She became an accomplished quilter and created beautifully detailed quilts for all of her children, stepchildren, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all are treasured works of art. In addition, she was also a proud member of ADK, her college sorority. While Mary Lou enjoyed many hobbies, what she treasured the most was spending time with her family.

Mary Lou is survived by her husband, James Warren; sons: James (Pamela) Sebesta of Bloomington, MN, and Dave (Karen) Sebesta of Hudson, WI; grandchildren: Derek (Cori) Sebesta of Anoka, MN, Jeffery (Sara) Sebesta of Minneapolis, MN, Michael Sebesta (fiancé Sina Jorgenson) of Staples, MN; great-grandchildren: Evangeline, Ethan, and Nikolai; James Warren's children: Kevin (Dawn) Warren of Winona, MN, Matt (Nan) Warren of Corcoran, MN, Geoffrey Warren (Janet Mealey) of Owatonna, MN, Mary Stoltman of Winona, MN, and Timothy Warren of Stewartville, MN; grandchildren: Christopher (Tirzah) Warren, Joshua (Nakayla) Warren, Jacob Warren, Benjamin (Jill) Warren, Chelsea (David) Curfman, Kendra (Anthony) Zimdars, Melissa (Joshua) Zunk, Kimberly (Michael) Beck, Jordan Warren, Aaron Stoltman (Karen Locke), and Hannah Stoltman-Snyder; great-grandchildren: Austyn, Cassie, Raylynn, Rylee, Tyler, Wyatt, Isabelle, Hannah, Devon, Talan, Cohen, Lucille, Hugo, Ezekiel, Titus, and Silas.

Mary Lou is preceded in death by her husband, John Sebesta; parents, John and Elizabeth Skalisky; siblings: Irene Skalisky, Joyce Frennea, Margaret Kubalski and John Skalisky.

The funeral service for Mary Lou will be held Saturday, July 31, 2021 at 11:00 AM in River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home in Rochester, MN, with Rev. Msgr. Gerald Mahon officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at a later date at St. Columbanus Cemetery in Blooming Prairie, MN. The family requests that masks be worn.

Memorials are preferred to Seasons Hospice of Rochester, MN, or Mayo Clinic Cancer Research.