Mary Stovall

Throughout her life Mary Stovall approached each day with a kind of fun-loving attitude that is rare. She embraced every single one of life's moments and experiences, almost as though she were carefully crafting each minute to be the most fun it could possibly be. If there was a party somewhere, then Mary was on her way. Even at Christmas she had the heart of a child, so eager to open presents that the anticipation was almost too much. She loved to be the center of attention and even enjoyed it when others picked on her. Mary had the unique ability to seek out a good time, find her own fun, and make wearing a smile every day seem effortless.

In the early part of the twentieth century the state of Pennsylvania was synonymous with coal mining and the industrial revolution was demanding more and more coal every day. It was the fuel that was moving the country ahead and millions of tons were brought out of Pennsylvania's most prominent coal mining regions each year. One of those regions was Bucks County, located on the border of New Jersey in the southeastern corner of the state. John Long was one of the thousands of men heading into the mines in Bucks County each morning to support his wife Nellie. And now that the couple was expecting their first child, they were relying on his job at the mine more than ever. At last, on November 6, 1911 the couple welcomed a daughter they named Mary Nellie.

The next few years were quite eventful for the Long family. John found work with the Civilian Conservation Corps and was stationed in the present day Huron-Manistee National Forest, which meant moving to Irons, Michigan. The family had also grown during this time and Mary was now an older sister to five more Long children. When Mary reached school age she attended Eden School just outside of Irons. Barely old enough to drive, Mary had already had a couple minor incidences involving automobiles. One morning before church, she went out to start up the truck to get it nice and warm for her family and somehow this good deed ended with her driving the truck into the barn wall. Another time she decided to go driving out onto Harper Lake in the wintertime to have some fun spinning donuts on the ice. When the car began to bounce along, she realized that the ice was thin and quickly got off, barely escaping the icy waters.

Like many young girls of her time, Mary was anxious to leave home and enter the workforce. So at the age of sixteen, she left Irons and set out for Grand Rapids. She may not have been old enough yet, but she soon found work as a dishwasher in a restaurant after telling a little white lie about her age. She wasn't there for very long before she and her sisters decided to set out again, this time to the Motor City in search of even better opportunities. For a while they worked as housekeepers in the home of one of Detroit's more well-to-do families, but as many young men were called to battle in WWII, Mary and her sister Julia went to work as press operators at Barcy-Nickelson. Doing their part to support the war machine, Mary had her own battle wound, leaving the factory minus one finger.

At the tender age of 19, Mary got married to a young man named Tony Thomas. They were both from Irons and had known each other while growing up. Although the marriage ended in divorce, it was successful on one account. The couple had two beautiful daughters together, Marie and Darlene. While still living in Detroit, Mary met another man, Al Butt, and together they had one daughter named Sherri. Tragically, just a few years later Al was killed on the job, as he was driving his truck through fog in the hills of Pennsylvania. After the death of Al, his brother introduced Mary to Jim Stovall. Mary and Jim hit it off and were married on December 2, 1950 in Toledo, Ohio.

Following the wedding, Mary and Jim eventually left Detroit and head back to the west side of the state. They settled on a dairy farm in Fountain, not far from where Mary grew up in Irons. Mary enjoyed life on the farm, especially milking the cows to make cheese and butter. Together, Mary and Jim celebrated nearly 25 years of wedded bliss. Jim passed away on January 29, 1975 and Mary never remarried. Although Mary may have been alone now, she was certainly never lonely. She went to work, finding a job at Howell Wire in Ludington where she welded wire baskets together until the factory closed. She also held several other jobs over the years, working at Land of the Pines Tree Farm and Fountain Beanery, and as a dishwasher for several restaurants throughout the area including The Knotty Pine in Walhalla, The Pantry, and Custer Café. Just a few years ago she took her final dishwashing job at Clown Town Café in Scottville. Her life had truly come full circle; she started working as a dishwasher and ended working as a dishwasher.

Mary also had plenty of family and pastimes to keep her busy. After her grandson John Thomas graduated high school in Detroit, he moved in with her and stayed for nine years. It was no wonder that he didn't want to leave, not only was she fun to be around, but she was also a terrific cook. Mary would make dumplings for John and her grandson Scott, which was their favorite, not to mention all the delicious baked goods she made, like banana bread, lemon pie, and cookies, and her fabulous Kugli. Mary also liked gardening and worked in her garden for years until she finally surrendered to the deer. No matter what she was doing, she never stayed idle. Wearing a smile and looking for fun, Mary was always on the go, even as she got older. She spent her final days at the home of her daughter Darlene in Irons, where she passed away from cancer. Until the end of her life, she remained the vivacious and fun-loving woman that had earned her the love of all the people in her life and, with her passing, the fond memories of all who knew her.

Mary Stovall passed away on Thursday evening, June 22, 2006 at the age of 94. Along with her husbands, Mary was preceded in death by her stepson James Stovall, her sister Julia Gutowsky, and her brothers Edward and Vincent Long. She will be lovingly remembered by her daughters Marie Thomas of Phoenix, Arizona, Darlene Thomas of Irons, and Sherri Wilcox of Pinedale, Wyoming, her stepdaughter Carol Coolman of Fountain, her stepdaughter-in-law Eydye Stovall of Warren, her 3 grandchildren John (Kim) Thomas of Free Soil, Scott (Lori) Porter of Evart, Mick (Mike) Sage of Winneaucka, Nevada, 8 step grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, 3 step great-grandchildren, her sisters Annie Miller, Helen (Frank) Gutowsky, and Theresa (Urbain) Bernier all of Irons, her brother-in-law Bill Gutowsky of Irons, and her sister-in-law Edith Vanessa Long of Fountain, and many nieces and nephews.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 29 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Custer with Rev. Godfrey Onyekwere as celebrant. Burial will take place at Bachelor Cemetery in Fountain. Friends may meet with her family for a time of visitation on Wednesday evening from 6-9 PM at the Stephens Life Story Funeral Home in Scottville. The Rosary will be prayed for Mary at 8:00 PM Wednesday evening at the funeral home. Those who wish may make memorial contributions to the St. Mary' Catholic Church. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to view Mary's Life Story Digital Film, sign the guestbook, or leave a memory for her family.