Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series:
Tribute
Folder:
DIG
Item:
271261
Title:
Amy L. McNalley
Date:
9/14/1928-9/10/2024
Creator:
Inscription/Marks:
9/14/1928
Summary:
Amy L. (Chunn) Stuart McNalley, 95, passed away on September 10, 2024. A memorial service was held September 17, 2024, at Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck, ND. Burial was at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan, ND.
Amy was born in Hettinger, ND, on September 14, 1928, to William Bean and Ethel (Reed) Chunn, the fifth of ten children. Amy lived in a big five-bedroom house in Hettinger, but lost everything during the Depression, moving to Lodgepole, SD. This is where she started first grade. The enrollment consisted of her family and one other student. The next year her family moved to Ridgefield, WA, where she went to second grade. Amy’s family eventually moved back into their big house in Hettinger where Amy finished her junior and senior years of high school.
She married Burton J. Stuart and moved to his family’s farm in Bucyrus, ND. They had three children, Burr W., Jill S., and Jacqueline S. With their family complete, they moved to Riverside, CA. The next move was to Belle Fourche, SD, and the final move to Bismarck, ND. Due to Burton’s poor health, Amy decided to go to beauty school. Her first job was at the GP Beauty Salon, and she later partnered with Gladys Keller, opening the Classic Beauty Salon.
Amy was very active in the state hairdressing association, attending many state and national conventions. She was even appointed by the governor to the State Board of Hairdressers. Amy traveled to small towns inspecting salons and also did testing for the students. Here is a little secret about Amy... She had no sense of direction and would get lost leaving a small town and wind up out in the boonies. She had lots of funny stories about the salons she visited.
After Burton died in 1962, she started taking art classes from Rosemary Landsberger and ended her long career of taking classes with Vern Skaag. She was a longtime member of the Bismarck Art and Gallery Association and participated in many art shows in Bismarck and Mandan. Her pictures were selected to hang in the Governor’s Mansion, the Bank of North Dakota, University of Mary, and the Else Forde Gallery at BSC. Amy won many awards and ribbons for her artwork. Unfortunately, due to macular degeneration she was forced to give up painting.
Amy met Delvin A. McNalley through a friend and they were married in November 1980 and moved to Mandan. Amy and Del were married 29 years before Del passed away in 2009.They shared a beautiful townhome. Amy would entertain every holiday. She loved decorating for the occasions and having fancy dinners with all the fine china and crystal.
After selling the Classic Beauty Salon in the 1980s, Amy worked for several businesses. She started her dream job at the cosmetic counter at Dayton’s/Marshall Fields. She loved everything about the store and especially the friends she made in the cosmetic department. The management asked her to lock the door the day the store closed. At this time, she was 77 years old and used to say she would still be working there if the store hadn’t closed.
Amy and Del belonged to First Lutheran Church in Mandan. Del sang in the choir and Amy served many years on the fine arts committee. She helped decorate for Christmas and choosing the church upgrades with her fellow committee members. Amy and her family had many fun evenings at the lutefisk and lefsa dinners.
Amy had only one grandson who lived in town, so they formed a special bond. Hearing about James and what was going on in his life always brought a smile on her face. She attended his school and Christmas programs, soccer games, Halloween costume making, Fourth of July parade and fireworks, trips to Medora, a wonderful trip to Disney World, confirmation and high school graduation. Amy supported him in everything he chose to do.
She joined the PEO AK after retirement and really enjoyed all the women she met, the meetings, and get togethers she participated in. She very much regretted that due to her health and eyesight she couldn’t be a more active member. She moved from her townhouse to a condo and then Edgewood Assisted Living. COVID made it impossible for her to live independently so she was moved to Miller Pointe. She moved several times while she was there but always in the 500 unit.
Amy was kind, compassionate, a wonderful listener, had a great sense of humor, had a can-do attitude, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. Also, she was competitive, and anyone who worked for her or with her would have discovered this about her.
Amy loved memorizing and reciting poetry and nursery rhymes. In her last years, parts of poems would pop into her head, and she would recite them from memory.
Amy leaves behind her sister, Ruth Holten, Pass, OR; brother-in-law, Bill Flamming, Pass, OR; her daughters, Jill Rosenow, Bismarck, Jacqueline (Larry) Binstock, Mandan; grandsons, Jason Stuart, Naples, FL, James Rosenow, Pittsburgh, PA, Mike Steffenson, Spring Valley, WI; and special niece, Peach Thompson, Houston, TX.
She was preceded in death by her husbands, Burton Stuart and Del McNalley; her son, Burr Stuart; her parents; and eight siblings.
Red ID: FND_I_78751 Image ID: 514287 Image Notes: FND001 271261
