Mary Smalley

Mary Smalley was a woman whose hands were always busy, helping, creating, and holding the people she loved. She loved so many, as a devoted wife, mother and grandmother, a loyal sister and friend. She was known for her hands, but she is remembered best today for her heart.

Mary's story began on a cold fall day in 1933, in the bustling city of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Those were such dark days in this country, as so many Americans were caught in the quagmire of the Great Depression. Nearly a quarter of the country was out of work, and even more were losing all hope for brighter days. Yet on November 6, 1933, William and Ethel (Shearer) Pickett found some hope, with the birth of their first child, a beautiful baby girl they named Mary.

Mary was joined by six siblings in the family's Kalamazoo home, Nancy, Fran, Margaret, Joan, Bill and Jim. Being the oldest child, she naturally had the most responsibility around the home, helping out with her younger brothers and sisters growing up. She learned to care for others in those days, where her work ethic was formed.

She also learned discipline, in the form of the all-girls school she attended for a time, before heading off to Kalamazoo Central High School. But in 1950, her parents bought a farm in nearby Cooper north of town, and the family packed up and left the city for the fields. By then a pretty, 16-year-old young woman, Mary attended Plainwell High School for only her senior year, graduating in 1951.

When the family moved to Cooper, Mary began working part-time as a waitress at the local diner in Cooper, a job that changed her life. One day while she was working, a handsome young man named Herb Smalley came through the door, visiting his friend whose parents owned the diner. He spotted the beautiful Mary, and asked her out on the spot. They went skating for their first date, beginning a lifelong romance that day in the rink.

The Korean War was looming at the time, and Mary and Herb were soon separated, as he went into the service in 1950. Before he left, however, he proposed to Mary, and when he came home on leave two years later, the couple was married, on April 27, 1952.

Once the newlyweds were reunited, it wasn't long before they became parents. Their first child, daughter Terry, was born in 1953, followed by Gary in 1954, Rick in '55, and their daughter Diana in 1956, who sadly died at just three months old.

When her kids were old enough to go to school, Mary went back to work part-time as a waitress in the evenings at Fred's Restaurant, mostly helping with the banquets. In 1968, she went to work at American National Bank, which later became Old Kent Bank, as a teller, and eventually became a Customer Service Representative. She was well-known by people who came into the bank. Never one to sit still, she also served as Treasurer for the Plainwell Greater United Way. Mary was excellent with bookkeeping and numbers, and often helped people in the community balance their checkbooks. She eventually retired from Old Kent in 1995.

As rewarding as her professional life was, Mary was so much more rewarded by her personal life, and the family she loved most of all. They did so much together as a family over the years, especially enjoying their trailer at Shelp's Resort on Pine Lake in the summertime. They moved out there every summer, spending those sunny days on the water, forming so many fond memories.

In 1967, the family bought a lot at Silver Lake up north, where they enjoyed so many fun dune buggy rides and made so many great friends. Mary especially loved the dune buggies, and even joined the Michigan Sport Buggy Association. Many times Mary would stay back at the trailer, doing her favorite jigsaw puzzles or reading, and had dinner ready for her family when they returned. Silver Lake became the family getaway, and today Mary's children have their own lots at the lake. Her last trip there was in the summer of 2005.

Mary enjoyed many other getaways, too. She loved going to Las Vegas; she and Herb went 2 or 3 times a year for many years. Her daughter Terry and Art got married in Vegas on one trip with her parents, and wore her mom's wedding suit. Mary also loved playing Bingo with her friends, and she and her beloved Herb bowled for many years, too.

Mary and Herb shared a special marriage, and she was a wonderfully supportive wife. She took care of the family and home amazingly well, and supported Herb's antique tractor hobby. They were members of the Antique Tractor Association, and after they retired they attended many tractor shows with their prized tractors. She enjoyed the camaraderie they shared with their fellow enthusiasts.

Mary had her own hobbies, as well, and was especially gifted at making crafts. She created beautiful plastic canvas cross-stitch, Kleenex-box covers, ornaments, a Barbie house, and did the family's Christmas card every year, too. She loved to keep her hands busy, helping, creating, and holding onto the ones she loved.

Family was always first in her heart, from her kids she worried after, to her grandkids she doted on, to the cats she treated as her babies. Mary was also a very friendly, lovable person, and a good friend to so many people over the years.

Sadly, Mary passed away Tuesday, March 20, 2007, at Borgess Medical Center, at the age of 73.

Mary was a wonderful woman, who lived a wonderful life, a life full of fun, friendship and family. Her hands were constantly in motion, helping, creating, and holding those she loved, the hands of a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend. Most of all, she's remembered - and loved - for her heart. She will be greatly missed.

Learn more about Mary, view her Life Story Film, and visit with her family on Thursday from 4-7 PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, RDMG, Plainwell, 120 S. Woodhams, where her service will be held on Friday at 11 AM. Mary's family includes her husband, Herb; children: Terry & Art Steinman of Plainwell, Gary & Becky Smalley of Otsego; and Rick & Judy Smalley of Kalamazoo; grandchildren: Jim, Sarah, Dustin, Jill, Kelly, Nick, Ally, Isiah, and Noah; great-grandchildren: Ashley, Hailey, & Kaitlyn; siblings: Fran Pickett, Margaret Sartin, Joan Weber, Bill & Alice Pickett, and Jim Pickett; brother-in-law, Vince Pagano; and many nieces & nephews. Mary was preceded in death by an infant daughter Diana, her parents, and her sister, Nancy Pagano. Please visit Mary's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can read her Life Story, share a favorite memory or photo, or sign her register book. Memorial donations may be made to the Allegan County United Way.