- Date Of Birth: April 9, 1922
- Date Of Death: August 18, 2022
- State: North Carolina
Mary Kathleen Zielinski, 100, passed away Thursday August 18, 2022. She was born in Cumberland Maryland on April 9, 1922 and was known as ‘Susie’ by her family and friends while growing up. She was the daughter of the late Harmon and Hazel (Morgart) Simons. She was a resident of Raleigh NC for the past 4 years and prior to that Stamford Connecticut for 67 years.
She graduated from Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Cumberland Maryland with a diploma in nursing in 1943. Along with her best friend Marlyn she enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II and served as a nurse from March 1944 thru September 1945. While performing her military duties in the Tampa Florida area she met Edward Zielinski, who was also in the Army Air Corps and they were wed at MacDill Field in November 1944. They were married for 62 years when he passed away in 2007.
Mary was a stay-at-home mom who didn’t get her driver’s license until she was nearly 40. Under the influence of her teenage son, she bought a 1965 Chevy Super Sport with red bucket seats.
She was a talented bowler and bowled on a league until she was 92 years old. After league bowling was over she became an even more talented Wii Bowler with a number of 200 games. Counted Cross Stitch was her hobby and many of her beautiful projects hang in the homes of family members. She enjoyed working in her rose gardens and grew beautiful African Violets that adorned all the windows in her dining room. Mary was always eager to play cards, especially pinochle and spite-and-malace.
As a big fan of the UCONN Women’s basketball team and the New York Mets she watched as many games as she could. While in Assisted Living, Mary enjoyed Bingo, Noodle Ball, flower arranging and attending Bible Study.
