- Date Of Death: February 27, 2016
- State: Indiana
Age 88, of Highland, passed away on Saturday, February 27, 2016. Mary is survived by her sons Mark (Sheryl) Kendra and Greg (Diane) Kendra; grandchildren: Marisa, Taylor, and Austen Kendra; cousin Barbara (Roland) Esquerra. Preceded in death by her loving husband of 60 years Frank Kendra; sister Katherine Kamzik and infant siblings.
Mary worked as a secretary for the General Services Administration in Chicago for several years, a city in which she also graduated from POPE’s culinary school. After her eldest son, Mark graduated from Dental School in 1982, she agreed to help him and his wife, Sheryl, with the administration work for their first few months of practice. A few months turned into 34 years as she not only helped her son but also her granddaughters as they became second-generation dentists (May 2015) in Highland. Here, she was well-known as a smiling face at the front desk and she loved interacting with the patients. Outside of the office, Mary was very involved in her church; she is a former member of Sts. Peter and Paul Church in the Harbor, where she served as a member of the Ladies Altar Society and is a current member of Descent of the Holy Spirit Orthodox Church in Schererville, where she enjoyed volunteering her time and singing in the choir. Additionally, she was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star.
In her free time, Mary enjoyed working with her hands and creating artwork. Some of her projects included decorative needle-point and cross-stitching, which she displayed around the house and later went on to teach this talent at Our Lady of Grace. She also fabricated over a hundred unique push-pin decorative ornaments for the family Christmas tree. Besides art, Mary also loved crossword puzzles, watching Wheel of Fortune and Murder She Wrote and listening to music. She enjoyed a recent trip out to Colorado to visit her son and daughter-in-law, Greg and Diane, for some sightseeing and well-deserved relaxation. She always mentioned that her favorite memories included hosting dinners for family and friends, taking care of her husband, and playing dice and card games with her family around the kitchen table. She enjoyed spending time with family, and never missed an opportunity to tell everyone how proud she was of them.
