Mardene Bergstrom Bryson

Mardene Elaine Bergstrom Bryson graduated from this earthly life on Saturday, April 12, 2025. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, April 19, 2025, beginning at 2pm at Elmwood Funeral Homes located at 5750 US-277 Abilene, Texas 79606. A viewing will be available from 12:30pm-1:30pm at the same location.

Her celebration of life will be hosted on Friday, April 18, 2025, from 6:00 pm-8:00 pm, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located on 3325 North 12 th St in Abilene, Texas.

Mardene is reunited in heaven with her beloved husband of fifty-six years, Forrest, and two children: Kristina and Kevin, as well as her parents: Gordon and Luella Bergstrom, parents-in-law: Vern and Sybil Bryson, 2 brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law.

She is survived by seven children and their spouses: Kenneth and Sherry Bryson of Spanish Fork, UT; Kimberly and Hank Elliott of Abilene, TX, Rebecca and Leo Montgomery of Port Orchard, WA; Scott and Amber Bryson of Orem, UT; Daniel Bryson of Spanish Fork, UT; Amanda and Mathew Perrydore of Abilene, TX; and Kyle and Courtney Bryson of Ogden, UT; as well as thirty grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Mardene was born June 3, 1948, to Gordon and Luella Bergstrom in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was the eldest of 6 children; one brother: Marc Bergstrom, and 4 sisters: Marsha Swain, Barbara Dye, Carol Dedow and Lorraine Bergstrom. The family moved to southern California in 1955 before settling in the San Jose area in 1959, where she graduated from Piedmont Hills High School in 1966. She then moved to Provo, Utah to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education at Brigham Young University. While there, she met the love of her life and eternal companion, Forrest Lee Bryson. They were married for time and all eternity on September 7, 1968, in the Oakland, California Temple. In 1970, after Forrest’s graduation, the couple returned to San Jose, California and welcomed their first child, Kenneth Gordon. In September of that year, Forrest received orders to report to the Air Force Officers training program in Chandler, Arizona where he became a B-52 pilot. The family was then stationed at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, TX. There they purchased a home and over the next several years welcomed three daughters, Kimberly Ann, Rebecca Dawn and Kristina Lee and a son: Kevin Vern. In 1980, the family was transferred to Guam. They welcomed three more children during their five-year stay there: Scott Everett, Daniel Eric, and Amanda Luise. The family was transferred to Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine in the Summer of 1985. They welcomed their final child in 1986, Kyle Andrew. Upon retiring from the Air Force in 1990, the family moved back to their home in Abilene, Texas.

As an active volunteer with many school, extra-curricular, community and church organizations, Mardene learned and developed the skill of making hard candy and chocolate suckers as well as candy filled chocolate boxes. She would sell these treats as fundraisers for the various entities. She made a name for herself doing this and created While managing Orange Julius/Karmelkorn, Mardene was approached with the idea to take her small side business and grow it into a store front candy store in the Mall of Abilene. In September 1998, The Chocolate Box opened its doors and began serving the Abilene community. With the help of their family, the couple worked together and built the store into the staple it is today, twenty-six years later. Mardene was known for her kindness and loving nature, often called "Grandma" by the mall employees and many of their regular customers. Forrest and Mardene have touched countless lives running the candy store as well as through their service at church and in the community throughout the years.

Mardene will be remembered for her abundance of love that she freely shared with all. Her love was never divided but only multiplied with each person she brought into her life. Whether by birth, marriage, or just friendship, everyone was simply family to her, and she would pull anyone who needed some love in without hesitation. Mardene was a born teacher, from raising her children and grandchildren to her famous church lessons, she had a talent for touching souls. Mardene loved holidays and a good party. She was always excited to plan events, big or small, with Forrest helping to make her visions come to life. She enjoyed decorating for every holiday and sharing that joy with everyone. She and Forrest shared a love of music and movies. But above all, her favorite thing was spending time with her family. She always had a listening ear and a kind word to share. Mardene’s strong faith and unwavering, unconditional love saw her through many of life’s ups and downs, including the devasting loss of two small children and most recently, her husband. Many years ago, she adopted and made her family motto “No Empty Chairs”. With this motto in mind, she lived her life ensuring there was always room and that all she loved would be able to fill their chairs at her table in heaven.