Mary Frances Bard

Mary Frances Bard, 68, peacefully passed on April 15, 2025, surrounded by her family.

Mary Frances was born in New Jersey in September of 1956. She was the youngest of four siblings. She graduated Colonia High School in 1974 where she was a tuba player in the marching & concert bands, a member of the water ski and snow ski teams, and a surfer.

Mary Frances attended Case Western in Cleveland, OH where she met the love of her life Stephan, who was attending podiatry school at the time. They were married in August of 1976 and made their way to Texas to begin their life together. Mary Frances and Stephan settled in San Antonio, TX where they raised two children and lived happily for over 30 years. During that time Mary Frances earned her business degree from the University of Texas at Austin - while commuting from San Antonio and being class mom and soccer mom to her two elementary school children. However, after her mother’s terminal illness, Mary Frances changed her career path to nursing.

Mary Frances worked as a nurse after receiving her bachelor’s degree with honors in nursing from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio in 1994. She worked as an emergency room nurse for a few years before becoming a school nurse for NEISD. She retired from school nursing in 2015 but not before earning School Nurse of the Year in 2006. She was an active member of the TASN and NASN attending conferences and serving in various positions.

After the sudden passing of her husband in 2014 and retiring from school nursing she moved to Denver, CO to be near her grandchildren. She couldn’t sit still however and continued her nursing career for Denver Health at the Denver County Jail. A job she described as very similar to her high school nursing job! She was known by the deputies, staff, and inmates as “Sister Mary Frances” due to her kindness, compassion, and conviction that everyone deserved to be treated fairly. She was recognized by Denver Health with a live saving award in 2022.

Mary Frances loved hosting parties and cooking. She was a woman of faith and had a servant’s heart. She loved a good pun, old movies, and live music. She was fluent in Spanish and was conversationally fluent in French and Italian. Which served her well because she loved to travel. She was proud of stepping foot in all 50 States and had reached six of the seven continents before her passing. Her last trip in February of 2025 went to Antarctica where she galavanted with penguins.

Mom didn’t know a stranger and made sure everyone was welcome at her home, in her clinic, and in her presence. She truly believed “life is a gift, that’s why it’s called the present”. She loved her children and grandchildren fiercely and could not have been prouder of them. She leaves behind a legacy of love, laughter, and humility that will live on in those who knew and loved her.

Mary Frances was preceded in death by her parents, William and Mary McCarthy, and her beloved husband of 37 years, Stephan Bard. She is survived by her daughter Lauren and her wife Sasha; her daughter Allison and her husband Chris with their children Grant, Drew, and Ty; her siblings Ellen, Anne, and Tim and their respective families.

Should you wish to honor her memory, have a family meal around the dining table, donate to end cancer, or save the penguins.