Mary Lou Kingery

Mary Louise Kingery was a woman of strength, character, and frugality. She was a determined person and an adoring wife, mother, and grandmother who made life sweet for her family. She lived a truly grateful life.

Mary was born in a decade of advancement and struggle. While the moving assembly line increased America 's ability to produce goods, workers united to gain fair labor practices. The United States was advancing as a world power and heavily engaged in WWI, the war that was meant to "end all wars". But a most welcome event for Ira and Josephine (Darmody) Cramer was the birth of their first and only child, Mary Louise on October 8, 1917. Mary Louise grew up in Indianapolis and attended School #70 and Shortridge High School. She was a bit of a bookworm, in fact, one of her favorite hobbies was reading. She even liked Shakespeare! Mary Lou was well rounded in her knowledge as well as activities. She was a curious student and an athlete. When Mary Lou was young, she learned fencing and golf. However, golf was the sport she played long into adulthood. Sadly, the joys of childhood were pierced with the death of her father when Mary Lou was in her late teens. At such times, the need to have family near is vital, and Mary Lou would cherish the closeness of family throughout her life.

After high school, Mary Lou went on to Butler University for two years. She got right into college life by joining the sorority Zeta Tau Alpha and the Latin Club. Some of Mary Lou's "sisters" from college days remained friends all their lives. Long after college, they probably still remembered her standard phrase, "Go jump in a lake."

One particular friend in Indianapolis was a man named Harry Kingery. He had come from Cambridge City to go to school and work in Indianapolis. Harry and Mary Lou were bound to meet because he rented a room in her aunt's home. They met all right, but it was not love at first sight. Mary Lou was somewhat resistant because, as she said, he grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Meaning: they grew up in very different environments-he was a farm boy and she was a city girl. But love conquered the differences and they decided to be married. The wedding took place on October 1, 1939 with a few good friends and family around to celebrate. They enjoyed a dinner reception with dancing because Mary Lou loved to dance. The event may have been small in numbers but it was great in promises, for Mary Lou and Harry would be together as husband and wife for the next 62 years!

If their wedding was the happiest day of Mary Lou and Harry's lives, only one other event could match. That was the day the twins came into their lives. Mary Jo and Mary Anne were the beautiful daughters of Laverne and Charles who first met Mary Lou and Harry through an adoption ad. The couples became friends before they agreed that Mary Lou and Harry would adopt the little girls. Now a family of four, the Kingery's settled in the Broad Ripple area and lived there from about 1950 to 1970. They then built a home in the Nora area on Compton Street where they lived until just recently.

In the early years of their marriage, Mary Lou worked as a legal secretary for Michael Redington, and she remained friends with his family for many years. She also worked for Smith Bridenstine optical and eventually retired when Harry did. But family was always a priority for Mary Lou. She was totally invested in her young daughters' lives. When Mary Jo and Mary Anne were young, Mary Lou became a Girl Scout troop leader. She and Harry spent many hours of fun with them, especially during the summer. The family dogs added to the fun: King Tut when the girls were young and, in recent years, Jo Jo along with Petey the cat and Dolly the dog who belonged to Mary Jo's family.

The young Kingery family had a cottage on Thomas Lake, west of Indianapolis, where the girls could enjoy the water and Mary Lou could watch them enjoying the water from her perch on a hill above the lake. Mary Lou wasn't much of a water person or a fish-loving woman, but she did enjoy her shrimp. If the family wasn't at the cottage, they were likely vacationing at one of Mary Lou's favorite places on earth, French Lick, Indiana. She and Harry also did some traveling together and went to Florida on occasion. But truth be told, anywhere her family was, that was Mary Lou's favorite place. She always looked forward to keeping up with her step grandson's, John Riffle, recent accomplishments. Because of his busy schedule as a pilot, she did not always see him as often as she might have liked, but was often inquiring with Dan or Mary Jo about John. Mary Lou was always proud of her grandsons and their accomplishments. On September 11, as we were all concerned and frightened for our Nation, she was especially worried for her grandson John, for he is a pilot for Delta Airlines. He was flying that day and when the order came for all aircraft to land it would be a day or two before the family heard anything from him and Mary Lou was relieved to hear that he was safe.

For the most part, Mary Lou liked to keep to herself, but she adored her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Her life revolved around them. Some of the best years of her life were the ones she and Harry spent helping Mary Jo raise her daughter Melanie. They loved having the family together, especially during the holidays. She and Harry put on big Thanksgiving dinners which were great because Mary Lou was a good cook. She was known for her signature sandwich that consisted of peanut butter, bananas, and mayo. Also, Mary Lou could bring out the family favorites that still stick in their memories: angel food cake with chocolate and maraschino cherries, red cranberry juice, and Mary Lou dressed to the nines. She liked clothes and had plenty of them, especially shoes and purses. She needed them, of course, to go with the outfits she sewed. Mary Lou stood only five feet tall and relied on a firm pillow to help her see over the steering wheel of her car. She was a good driver and never had an accident, ticket, or even a warning in 60 years. Every morning Dan and Mary Jo looked forward to seeing Mary Lou peek out her front door to see what was going on as they lived across the street from each other.

In addition to sewing, Mary Lou loved the garden her son-in-law and late husband tilled, planted, and harvested, especially during the years of 1994-2005. She relished the homegrown goodness of tomatoes and the delights of roses and red geraniums. However, her love of garden vegetables didn't keep Mary Lou from enjoying Frosties from Wendy's, chicken from Kentucky Fried, Diet Coke, and iced tea with loads of lemons. In the winter months, Mary Lou loved to enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. These were the perfect foods to relax on her throne (her chair) in front of the TV to watch the Kentucky Derby or shows like Wheel of Fortune or Jeopardy, Montel or Larry King, Oprah or Dr. Phil. Add the music of Winona Judd, Liberace, and Lawrence Welk and you have a the makings of a pleasant evening. Mary Lou and Harry spent many-a Saturday night going to Borkey's for dinner and watching Lawrence Welk on TV. Mary Lou also stayed up late to watch Johnny Carson and, since then, Jay Leno. The only trouble was getting up in the morning. Mary Lou was not an early riser nor was she especially punctual. Friends and family often ended up waiting for Mary Lou. Good naturedly, she said about herself that she would be late for her own funeral. The only time there was no flexibility with time was her 6:30 dinner hour; all were expected to be at the table on time. When asked how things were going, Mary Lou would say, "All's going according to Hoyle." Along with her trademark phrases, Mary Lou was never known to be without a Kleenex or a napkin in her right hand. She was a woman to remember.

To those who knew Mary Lou best she was a warm and loving person who truly gave herself to her family. She will be deeply missed by those who love her dearly. She passed away peacefully with her twin daughters at her bedside. At that moment, she seemed to lose ten years and even had a smile on her face. One last note--Harry said to his daughter, "When your mother passes, make sure she is buried face down." His daughter asked "Why?" His response was, "So I can talk to her."

Mary Louise Kingery, 88, Indianapolis, died October 30, 2005 after a battle with pneumonia. Her final days were spent peacefully at St. Vincent Hospice with her loving family caring for her. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harry E. Kingery, who died in 2002. Survivors include her twin daughters, Mary Jo Riffle (Dan) and Mary Anne Selle; granddaughters, Melanie Oliver (Brian), Heather Bledsoe (Keith), Ginger Yancey (Joe); grandsons, Mark Genovese (Shannon), Brian Genovese (Bonnie) and John S. Riffle; great grandchildren, Mikayla Jo, Madison, Cydney, and Matthew. Friends and family will gather on Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m. in the Leppert Life Story Funeral Home, Nora Chapel, 740 E. 86th St. Funeral services will begin at 1 p.m. on Thursday in the funeral home with interment following at Oaklawn. You are invited to visit www.lifestorynet.com where you may read Mary Lou's Life Story, share a personal memory, arrange for flowers, or make a memorial contribution to St. Vincent Hospice. "Don't mourn or cry for me - I've lived a wonderful life." - Mary Lou Kingery