Mary Ridenour

Mary Ann Ridenour was born in West Bend, Iowa, the daughter of Elvin and Austa Baas. She was raised and educated in West Bend, graduating from West Bend High School in 1948. Mary was united in marriage to Kenneth Ridenour on February 13, 1948 in Emmetsburg, Iowa. The couple made their home in Emmetsburg and California, before moving to the Iowa Great lakes in 1956, where they owned and operated several restaurants and clubs through the years including the Peacock in Arnolds Park. After much demand for a favorite family recipe, Mary started making and bottling Mary & Kens BBQ Sauce, which remains a local, family-owned business she enjoyed. For many of her most recent years, Mary made thousands of doughnuts at Casey's in Arnolds Park. Mary was an active supporter of the Okoboji Summer Theatre and the Humane Society of Northwest Iowa. She especially cherished time spent with her grand and great grandchildren, and will forever remain "Grandma Mary" to many special people in her life. Mary passed away Friday, July 9, 2010 at her home in West Okoboji, with family at her side. Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, Ronda Youde and her husband Jim, of Nobelsville, Indiana; granddaughter Lyndsi (Ridenour) Logan and her husband Jesse, of Milford, special granddaughter Summer Stoller of Spirit Lake; great-granddaughter Reece Logan of Milford; daughter-in-law, Karen Ridenour-Stoller and her husband Larry, of Spirit Lake. She was preceded in death by her parents, Austa and Elvin Baas, brother, Bob Baas, husband, Kenneth Ridenour (in 1971), granddaughter, Katie Ridenour (in 1989), son, Gary Ridenour (in 2005).