Mary Jane Blethen found passion in Skating and Childcare

Oct. 20--MANKATO -- When it came to promoting figure skating, Mary Jane Blethen would have been a gold medalist.

Blethen, who died Oct. 1, was instrumental in establishing Mankato's first ice skating arena and the city's first indoor ice show. She also was an area pioneer in early-childhood education, child care centers and senior living facilities.

Blethen was born in 1937 in Minneapolis. Her fascination with skating began when she was a school girl in Edina, and although she did not come from a family of skaters, her parents, Florence and Rollie Freudenthal, were very supportive, said her husband, Bailey Blethen.

After graduating from high school, "MJ" (as she was known to friends) traveled through the United States as an ice follies performer with the Shipstads and Johnson show.

Her summer months were spent skating at state and county fairs throughout the Midwest. A big truck would pull a large tank that became an ice rink during performances.

Mary Jane used her wages from the Adventures on Ice "tank" shows to pay for her college tuition at the University of Minnesota.

Bailey was a law student when he and the woman he would marry first met. Mary Jane had been involved in a minor car accident and he was representing an auto insurance carrier.

The law student may not have been a good skater but he was fast on his feet. "I told her I needed way more information," Bailey said. They were married six months later.

Her focus moved from skating to young children and their educations.

Bailey said his wife never indicated a desire to be part of Olympic-level skating. She did develop a passion for educating young children. Mary Jane had taught second graders in Richfield before the Blethens moved in 1963 to Mankato, Bailey's home town.

"She wanted to teach but was unable to locate a teaching job," Bailey said. His wife was concerned there were no nursery/pre-schools in town for their two children.

Mary Jane's solution was to take out a bank loan to start her own nursery school, Peter Pan, which she owned from 1965 to 1970.

She also helped establish The Mankato Ice Palace -- the city's first ice-skating arena -- and was a partner in its first indoor ice show. In 1978, Blethen created the Mankato Figure Skating Club, which is sanctioned by the U.S. Figure Skating Association Club.

She served on the Mankato Public School District Board from 1972 until 1976, and later was an instructor and supervisor with the Minnesota Valley Head Start.

"Her legacy is that she always got high marks for being an outstanding leader. The people who worked with her said she was very a gracious and sensitive person," Bailey said.

Bailey remembers seeing his wife at home, reading the school board's agenda.

"Before the next meeting, she would go out and talk to the people concerned -- the custodians, the nurses, everyone involved."

Mary Jane organized an onsite child-care center for Taylor Corp. -- Golden Heart Day Care -- and she served as its director from 1980 until 1983.

"She loved to start things up," said Pam Willaert, Golden Heart's current director.

Mary Jane told Willaert how much she enjoyed the beginning of a new project -- and that after a few years she was ready to get something else going.

Alzheimer's disease caused Blethen to require care at Keystone Willows Memory Care, where she was a resident for about two years.

Besides her husband, Blethen is survived by her children and grandchildren. Daughter Wendy Helgeson shared her mother's love for gliding on ice.

"She was my first teacher and I ended up following in her footsteps," said Helgeson, who skated from 1981 to 1983 with the Holiday On Ice show on tours of Europe, Israel and Central America.

A memorial service for Blethen will 10:30 a.m. Friday at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Mankato.

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