Mary Schlarf

There are some who will remember Mary Schlarf for her mouth-watering Christmas cookies while others will remember her for her resourcefulness and independence. All who knew Mary, however, will remember her for her compassionate spirit and generous heart. In fact, she often said, “When you leave this world you should leave it better than when you came,” and she lived this concept by the example she set forth each and every day. Mary was a woman of great strength whose faith was the source for not only her strength, but for her love of life as well. She was a woman dedicated to loving others whether her family, those within her community, or anyone who simply crossed her path.

Life during the year 1910 was remarkably different in America than the life we know today. Charlie Chaplin was just emerging as performer, the motor car was becoming a middle class “necessity” and not merely a frivolous toy of the rich, and The Wright Brothers were relentless in their pursuit to command the skies. It was in the year 1910 that Florian and Bina (Haas) Matthews welcomed the birth of their daughter, Mary, on August 31st. Mary was born in Gratiot County, Michigan in a farmhouse that was on their land – the land that was deeded to their family after the Civil War. She was the third of four daughters in her family and her father supported their family as a farmer. Whenever the Matthews family needed to go into town, they made the trip in a horse and buggy. When Mary was 10 years old a neighbor’s wife died and she asked permission to bake a pie to take to the husband to offer her condolences. This marked the beginning of Mary’s love for the kitchen as she took him a pie once a week for many weeks to come.

Although Mary’s three sisters all became teachers, Mary had other aspirations to pursue. After she graduated from St. Johns High School in 1928, her dreams for the future came to fruition when she moved to Lansing and attended the Acme Business College. After she graduated from college Mary became a secretary and was even the secretary to the Mayor of Lansing for a time. She worked in Lansing during the week and then rode the interurban back to St. Johns on the weekends.

While she was busy working, Mary’s personal life took a pleasant turn when she began dating a young man she had known since her childhood. His name was Glenn Schlarf and after dating for a time, Mary and Glenn were married in St. Johns on New Years Day in 1933. The newlyweds settled on the farm and Mary became a homemaker while Glenn farmed. They were blessed with four children altogether although their son Jimmie died as an infant. Mary was always very organized and ran an efficient household. She considered it a privilege to care for her family. Mary loved to cook tasty meals for them, always from scratch, and when the recipe called for liquor, she would simply drove to Fowler to purchase some. Mary was also quite resourceful. On one occasion when her son got sprayed by a skunk, she buried his clothes on the edge of the field only to dig them up later – sans the smell! Mary recognized that as a mother one of the most important jobs is to not only give your children roots, but wings as well. When her daughter Margaret left home to attend school in Indiana, Margaret would often write home about how homesick she was. Mary always encouraged her to stick it out.

There were many things that made Mary such an extraordinary woman. Throughout her life she would take in anyone, relative or not, who was in need of a place to stay or perhaps just a bit of compassion. One time near the end of the Great Depression during the thirties, a young man came to her door looking for a day job. Not surprisingly, the young man ended up staying for over a year earning both a small wage and food. Mary was organized and scheduled too – even while she was living in an assisted living facility. She always had her day scheduled and knew far in advance what she was going to wear. Mary embraced a vibrant faith which together with the love of her family, sustained her during the challenging days following her young son’s death. Her annual Christmas cookies were legendary to countless people in the area and her pies were a favorite as well. She was even baking pies at the young age of 98! Mary’s family published a cookbook of her recipes, mainly for their own use, but they are now in their second printing. In addition to cooking and baking, Mary enjoyed gardening and bird watching. She loved playing the organ at the Salem United Methodist Church and also at the Maple Rapids Congregational Church.

Mary was deeply saddened with the death of her beloved Glenn in 1984. She was blessed to find love for a second time with a man named Clayton Wright whom she married in 1986. She was widowed for a second time when Clayton died in 1986. Again it was her unwavering faith, her family, and her abundant strength that brought her comfort during these trying times.

No matter what she was doing, Mary Schlarf was a woman who carried herself not only with strength, but with an elegant grace too. She always treated others with endless amounts of respect, compassion, and love. Mary willingly shared her heart with others and devoted herself to caring for her family. She showed her love through the things she did for her family and was forever concerned with making the world around her a better place. Although her family and friends will miss Mary dearly, they will be forever grateful for the many precious moments they were given to share with such an extraordinary woman.

Mary L. Schlarf died on Monday, December 21, 2009 in St. Johns, Michigan. Mary’s family includes her two daughters, Margaret Bontrager of Ashley and Janet (Bill) Haupert of Ovid; one son, John (MaryAnn) of St. Johns; 8 grandchildren, Brian, Duane (Marti) and Annette Bontrager, Cathy (Jerry) Weber, Russell (Wendee) Schlarf, Sandy (Jeff) Aprill, Scott (Katie) Rockafellow, Shelly (Rodney Kaiser) Rockafellow; 3 step grandchildren, Cindy (Brian) Hilton, Candy (Bill) Griffiths and Mark (Marian) Haupert; 22 great-grandchildren; and 12 great-great-grandchildren. Mary was preceded in death by parents; her two husbands; her infant son, Jimmie; granddaughter, Mary (Bontrager) Howd; two sons-in-law, Farol Bontrager and Gene Rensberry; and her three sisters, Eva Shinaberry, Cressie Wakefield and Helen Peck. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, December 24, 2009 at the Osgood Funeral Home in St. Johns with burial at the Eureka Cemetery with Pastor Kathy Leydorf officiating. The family will receive friends 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday at the funeral home. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com where you can leave a favorite memory or photo, sign the online guestbook, or make a memorial contribution.