Here are some public notes about Mary Payne, whose memory is a blessing.

On May 3rd, 2024 -- fifteen days after breaking her hip, my Mom, Mary, 93.9 yo, died of related complications ( pneumonia, Suspected Sudden Cardiac Death Syndrome, etc ).

Mary insisted on no funeral or listing on an obituary website (e.g., Legacy). She was deeply affected by the Great Depression and didn't want any money spent on unnecessary things. Well, Mom, this GitHub page is free.

If you want to make a charitable contribution that will make Mary smile, please give to  Share a Fare. Mary and her husband, Glenn, would use this service to take cab rides to doctor's appointments and other places. Mary loved the feeling of independence and not being a burden.

Mary was very smart & stubborn. She told many stories.

When she was eleven, she stood up to her alcoholic and abusive father & his friends. "I put my shoulders back, stood tall, looked him in the eye, and loudly said "NO MORE!"

That decision to stand up set the tone for her life. Glenn and Mary enjoyed a wonderful life that started by driving to Lake View, Iowa, to announce their marriage to Mary's family. "It was so warm that we rolled the windows down— in December!"

They raised a girl and a boy in Omaha's District 66 schools. Sally earned a Nebraska Regents full-ride Scholarship. Matt graduated in the top ten percent of his class. Both kids were first-generation college students.

Glenn and Mary were also affected by an industrial accident. While Mary was pregnant with Matt & Sally was two, Glenn became blind in one eye. After clocking out of work, a co-worker asked Glenn, "Hey Nick, hold this for a second." The co-worker was welding at a grain mill where they worked. The weld went bad, and a three-inch piece of metal entered Glenn's eye. Glenn drove himself to the hospital. Mary received a phone call. "You better get down here now." Mary got down to the hospital with two-year-old Sally in tow. No small feat because Mary was legally blind since childhood: she never learned to drive. Glenn was out of work for months; they lived off savings with a two-year-old and a newborn.

They built a happy life with their two kids, who never really figured out how hard it was for their parents.

We are grateful for the life our parents gave us.

Their memory will always be a blessing.

Mary Payne, dressed to visit the doctor, on 2024 Feb 10