- Date Of Birth: June 12, 1929
- Date Of Death: August 8, 2023
- State: Oklahoma
Mary Edith (Laging) Lewis of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, passed away on Tuesday, August 8, 2023, at the age of 94. Mary was born on June 12, 1929, the daughter of Edward Christian Laging and Edith Marie (Witten) Laging.
Mary was married to William Ray Lewis, Jr. on February 19, 1955. To this union were born two daughters.
Mary had a long, fulfilling life. As her daughters were growing up, she became an active volunteer for the Girl Scouts, quickly working her way up to an executive leadership role. Next, Mary was a part-time bookkeeper and secretary for her family’s business, Sooner Specialty Company, when her husband took over his father’s business. Later, she took college courses to update her college degree, to become a school librarian. She spent many years as the school Librarian for Robin Hill Public School, where she also taught 7th and 8th grades.
Mary was an active member of the Cleveland County Genealogical Society and served as its President for two years. She was endlessly fascinated by her family’s history, and loved doing genealogy research, as well as teaching others how to research their own families. As a librarian, she maintained the Society’s genealogical library until it was transferred to the Norman Public Library Central when it opened. She also loved quilting in her spare time.
While she had many interests and passions, nothing came close to the love Mary had for her family. She cherished the memories she made with the people she loved. She especially loved the adventures they had together during their many family trips across the country, first camping out, then in later years enjoying their travel trailer. After retiring, Mary and Bill enjoyed many happy summers in Colorado staying in a park for travel trailers, relaxing, reading and making friends. When Bill became ill with dementia, Mary counted on the people she met in the Full Circle Adult Day Care Center support group, and even after Bill passed, Mary continued attending the meetings to support the friends she made there.
Mary was a loving daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, and friend to many. She will be very dearly missed by all those who knew and loved her.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Edith Laging, her husband, William Ray Lewis Jr., and two brothers, Bill Laging, and Ed Laging.
Left to treasure her memory are her two daughters, Sandy Herring and son-in-law Bill, and Diane Lewis, a sister, Louise Ditmer, and sister-in-law Frances Laging. Mary is also survived by her loving nieces and nephews, Steve Ditmer, Susan Sorenson, Tim Ditmer, Edan Cotton, Christina Piearson, Jyl Griffin, and Jay Laging.
