Mary Bisoni Leaves Legacy to Eureka Nevada

"Any road that is crooked and in the mountains is pretty." Mary Bisoni, 1938-2020

Mary Bisoni talked with me about life in the historic mining town of Eureka in 2014 at the time she included the Community Foundation in her estate plans. As she talked about her life in rural Nevada, she recommended looking for an old oiled road "just this side of the shoe tree that snakes up up the mountainside for a beautiful sight." Mary, who was raised in South Dakota, came to Eureka for a short visit in 1962. She decided to stay, live off the crooked mountain road, and make this small mining town her home.

Though Mary never went to high school and completed her formal schooling after graduating 8th grade, she valued a practical education.

She envisioned her scholarship for Eureka High School students seeking a technical certificate education, helping "the most important people in our lives, the ones who fix the wells, the plumbers and mechanics." Mary died this year, leaving a legacy in Eureka to help build a stable future for the town's young graduates.