Mary Caroline Findley

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Mary liked to collect four-leaf clovers, and her diaries had several of them pressed between the pages, but for all that she was not particularly superstitious. Encouraged by friends, she tried Christian Science, but she concluded that it didn't work for her, according to her diary entry of 19 February 1946: "Didn't go to work. Nellie saw Louie in afternoon and told him I was sick. I guess my 'Christian Science' didn't do me any good, or I haven't faith enough. Nose and throat all filled up with nasty stuff. Took alka seltzer at night and did I sweat!" She had no tolerance for faddish superstitions, as this entry on 10 May 1968 attests: "Letter from Mona and a chain letter from Lawrence, I don't know who about a Bible verse and I'll get good luck in 4 days if I don't throw it away, so I threw it away. Chain letters are illegal I think."

Mary took occasional train and bus trips, sometimes all across the continent to visit family and friends. Here is a picture of her with her grandson Allan, taken in Centralia, Washington, in 1956 (click the picture to enlarge it). Her last such long trip was in 1960. Even into her last years, Mary shopped in Boston and visited relatives in eastern Massachusetts. She also remained active locally with the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Legion Auxiliary, Bible class, Kings Daughters, the local "Young in Heart" group, a sewing group, other groups, and friends. There was nothing Mary liked so much as a "good gab" with her friends.

Mary tended to fuss excessively over her children and grandchildren, particularly those she lived with: She hovered over her daughter Jean, her son-in-law Roland, and her grandson John Allan. Mary was proud of her descendants, but she could not tolerate the noise that little children make. She preferred the company of adults.

In her later years, Mary watched a lot of TV; her favorite shows included "Perry Mason," "Lawrence Welk," "Sing Along with Mitch Miller," "Red Skelton," "Password," "What's My Line," and bowling. She listened to baseball games on the radio. She hated hot weather.

Mary was able to keep the diabetes and other ailments (variously including diarrhea, constipation, sciatic leg pain, neuritis, neuralgia, bursitis in the shoulder, hypertension, eczema, a problem left eye, hearing difficulties, dizzy spells, and worrying) under control until 1970, when she died at the age of 83.

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