Mary Hall

Super Woman Gets Her Wings Mary Hall, otherwise known as Superwoman, traded her cape for wings on April 22. Our mother was always different from other mothers. She had a secret other life, known as a career, which none of the other mothers in our neighborhood in the early-1960s had. When other women were burning their bras, Mary had already got on with it, her career and independence. She set the precedent for her children: we were to have rich independent lives, our own interests and talents to pursue. Born in 1931 in Indianapolis, Mary Cox grew up in Indianapolis and Troy, Michigan. She earned her degree in the science of Home Economics from Taylor University and started her Masters degree encompassing graduate level chemistry at Michigan State University. Her academic pursuits were interrupted when, on their first date, Bud Hall told her they were going to marry, which they did eighteen months later. They settled in Muskegon, Michigan, and raised their three children. Mary was a teacher in the Muskegon Public Schools in Michigan for 25 years. She later completed her Indiana teaching credentials at Purdue University. Among Mary’s many feats: she rescued a student after he was injured by porcelain shrapnel when he exploded a cherry bomb in the school toilets. She taught her children how to make chocolate mousse crepes, hospital corners, the proper order in which to wash dishes (silverware and pots and pans after glass), the perfect way to iron shirts (collars and cuffs last), Yahtzee, the love of incessant reading and how to avoid various forms of Kryptonite. She, of course, provided each with a four volume set of annotated favorite family recipes. Mary was known to sew fantastic creations out of ties and other go-to-Goodwill items. She won awards at the Indiana Extension Homemakers Association (IEHA) fairs for her vest of ties, painting and other creations. She was Past Hamilton County President of the IEHA; Regent and Registrar of the Horseshoe Prairie Chapter of the DAR and chairperson of multiple committees; and a docent at the Eiteljorg Museum for many years. Lesser known were Mary’s abilities as family genealogist extraordinaire. And she was infamous for her tiny, amazing tasting cheesecakes, worthy of worship, and more dense than a black hole. Mary’s beloved husband, Bud, mother, Francis, father, James, and brother, Jim, preceded her in death. She is survived by her three children, Janice, Jennifer and Bradley, her three grandchildren and assorted well-loved cousins, in-laws, nieces and nephews. Please join us in a celebration of Mary’s life on June 7th, 11am to 3pm, at Shirley Brothers in Fishers on the corner of Eller and Allisonville Roads. Interment for family only to follow.

Tributes

Mary Hall

January 3, 1931 - April 22, 2019