Mary Minshall, age 78, of Plainwell,a former Wayland High School student, died Wednesday, April 19.
Mary was born June 9, 1938, to Louis and Ruth Papineau.
Growing up in Orangeville, her father worked for Goodyear In Akron, Ohio and her mother was a homemaker. Later, they moved to the Gun Lake Tower area where her stepfather, Melvin, who helped to raise her and her three sisters, worked as a factory worker until he later purchased his own gravel pit.
Attending Wayland High School through the tenth grade, she married at the tender age of 17 after meeting the man of her dreams, Theodore Minshall, marrying in her parents’ back yard on April 2, 1955, they settled down at his father Pete’s farm. It was a successful potato farm, known as Carry Farm. Later, they moved next door to her grandparents where they raised a family of three of their own and two they adopted; Christine, Teddy, Brenda, and Donald Walton and Karen Visser.
Theodore owned his own tire business, Minshall Tire. Mary worked at Hooper IGA before later moving to Harding’s Market before she retired at the age of 58.
Mary loved to explore and to seek adventure. For family vacations, they visited out west to the states of Colorado, Utah, Vegas, and New Mexico. She also cherished her visits to Maine with her Aunt Rose and Uncle Norm Pickett. Mostly, she was just as content heading north to fish and pretty much lived on Drummond Island each summer and fall.
She is survived by her children: Christine (Bill) Spark, Teddy, and Brenda (Tom) Chadderdon; adopted daughter Karen (Wes) Visser; eight grandchildren; 33 great-grandchildren; sisters Maureen (Dick) Slider and Cindy (Ron)Truax; as well as several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by the love of her life, Ted, her adopted son, Donald; her parents; sister, Nancy; and grandson, Billy.
Per Mary’s wishes, cremation has taken place.
Mary Minshall was a dedicated wife, loving mother, sweet sister, a caring aunt, and the most wonderful grandmother. She loved to entertain and fill her home with so many loved ones there wasn’t much room left to sit or to stand! Her wonderful cooking over the years including her special chicken and noodles along with her marvelous cheesecake will be lovingly remembered. Known for her delightful sense of humor, Mary never held a grudge or showed anger. She truly loved each and every person she met. Mary leaves behind a legacy of being generous and always having a special place in her heart for those in need. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by countless friends and family.
Without a book in her lap, she’d have a grandchild instead! She absolutely loved having them over. She cherished each and every one of them and there were plenty to go around! Mary loved to make each and every holiday a memorable one and was known to spoil all of her children, especially at Christmas time. She was a natural when it came to the children and nothing brought her greater joy than taking care of them. Not to mention, she loved to shop! When she wasn’t on a vacation, she was out shopping finding just the right this or that to spoil them with! Content at home for short moments, she adored her Dachshund, Dolly who kept her company and gave her plenty of comfort. Described as feisty, yet had a heart of gold, Mary’s wonderful collection of memories will be savored for generations to come.
Please visit Mary’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can archive a memory or photo, and sign her memory book online.