Born on July 2, 1927 in Seymour, IN, Mary Lou was the third of four children born to the late Grover and Minnie Marquette. The family moved to Indianapolis when Mary Lou was very young, and there she graduated from Arsenal Technical High School in 1945 and subsequently obtained a secretarial position. In 1948 she met a young man at church who was home on leave from the Air Force, and a romance began. Mary Lou and Leland were married the next year on October 1, 1949 soon after he was discharged. Leland then began studying for his Electrical Engineering degree at Purdue University, and Mary Lou earned her PHT ("putting hubby thru") at the same institution.

After graduating from Purdue, Mary Lou and Lee moved to Indianapolis where she continued working as a secretary. After almost 7 years of marriage, their first child, Sarajean, was born in 1956, and Mary Lou''s working days were over. Nancy followed in 1958, and then Steve in 1961. In 1964, Lee accepted a new position in Ft. Wayne, and the family was on the move.

In Ft. Wayne, they purchased a house at 3118 Stardale Drive and lived there for 54 years. Even though she stayed home with the kids, Mary Lou was never still. She was always volunteering to be president of organizations such as the PTA and the church women''s missionary society. She was a member of a bowling team, a bridge club, the Southmoor Singers, and even had a job delivering papers to the local "paper boys".

Mary Lou and Lee joined First Baptist Church soon after arriving in Ft Wayne, and remained active in the church for about 50 years. She served the church in many different positions, attended and led Bible studies, and was a staple in the church choir. She and Lee also sang many duets there and even enticed all three kids to join them on several occasions. She really loved singing and listening to music, especially the Gathers.

In an effort to travel and see the country, Mary Lou agreed to go camping. However, she drew the line at living in a tent, so a pop-up trailer was purchased. From that they moved up to a 17-foot trailer, and then (after the kids were all gone) to a 32-foot trailer that they also used to escape the snowy winters. With their trailers, the family travelled all over the country, and spent most summer weekends at local campgrounds.

In addition to camping, Mary Lou also became Lee''s fishing partner. At first she drew the line at baiting her own hook and taking off the fish she caught, but later on became accomplished at doing both. She didn''t always like getting up in the wee hours of the morning to get to the lake, but she was a good sport about it. Now in addition to pulling a trailer, they pulled a boat trailer as well. It was quite a sight going down the road to the campground (car then trailer then boat).

Soon after Lee retired, they decided to escape the winter cold and snow, and towed their trailer down to the southern part of Texas. They''d stay there from January thru March and come back when it started to warm up here. They did this for almost 20 years and made many friends in the campground down there.

The thing that Mary Lou loved the most was her family and her extended family. She even took it upon herself to try to call everyone each week to stay in touch and to let each person know what everyone else was doing. She did this not only for her side of the family, but also for Lee''s relatives. Family was always very important to her.

The family now will really miss this vibrant little lady. She lived a long and good life, and we will always remember her.

A funeral service will be held at 11:00 am. Saturday at Fort Wayne Baptist Church, 2323 Fairfield Ave. with calling 1 hour prior to the service. Calling hours will also be held on Friday from 2-4 and 6-8 pm at Covington Memorial Funeral Home, 8408 Covington Rd. Burial will be in Covington Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Fort Wayne Baptist Memorial Foundation.