Mary "Marylou" Louise Ives
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Mary's obituary
Mary Louise Ives, 85, of Elkin, NC, passed away on January 20, 2023
Mary was born on May 7, 1937, to Samuel Leonard and Florence Albro in Windham, CT. She immediately brought joy and laughter into the world.
Mary Lou, as she was affectionately known by her family and close friends, was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses on September 27, 1952. Her Aunt Marion was a big influence on her decision to enter the full time service and she began pioneering in 1955. Mary loved studying the Bible and would talk to everyone she came in contact with about what she learned; in fact, she could have an interesting conversation with anybody! Her love for people and her zeal for sharing encouragement from the scriptures prompted Mary to pursue a life of full-time service which made her an inspiration to many.
In 1952 she met and became friends with William (Bill) Ives and in 1955 she invited him to her high school prom. From then on, the two were inseparable. Mary and William were married on June 7, 1958. In 1959 they moved to Southbridge, MA to help a small congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses and then in 1963 they moved again to serve in Brattleboro, VT.
In 1965 they were invited to Gilead and after graduation they embarked on a 3-week journey by ship to their missionary assignment, Okinawa, Japan. In 1975 they returned back to Connecticut with their bouncing baby boy, Kenneth, in a cardboard box and they raised him in the town of Willimantic, where they lived happily for many years. However, their love for Japanese always burned brightly, so in 2006 they moved to Maryland to assist a Japanese group until 2018 when they moved to Elkin, NC.
Mary was fond of flowers and gardening, and would often feed the birds and wildlife that came along, even the skunks, (not that she admitted to it). Mary also loved hosting and entertaining friends and she was known for her famous chicken fingers; however, she would often get so distracted talking to her guests that she sometimes burned the dinner buns, but a good time was still had by all.
One of Mary’s favorite pastimes was taking pictures; so much so, that anyone who knew her was aware that her camera was never far away, which meant that you would likely be asked to pose for a photo….whether you wanted your picture taken or not. Mary also loved Japanese, and she assumed that everyone she talked to could speak Japanese. And whether you could or not, you would learn a word or two after speaking with her, ne? (That's Japanese for 'right?') In fact, 'Ne' was how she always signed off on her text messages.
Mary always had a zest for life and an infectious laugh, and she loved having fun with others.
The hole left by her absence is impossible to fill; however, her faith and hope in the resurrection to life in Paradise was unwavering and will sustain us until we meet again…Ne?!
Mary was predeceased by her sister Jeanette Pekarski. She is survived by her husband William, her son Ken and daughter-in-law Susanna, and her brother Samuel Tyler Albro, along with numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
A Zoom memorial service will be held on Saturday February 18th, 2023, at 2:30pm EST, with an in-person viewing option at the Kingdom Hall in Elkin, NC located at:
905 Johnson Ridge Rd
Elkin NC 28621-2211
Zoom Meeting Link:
Topic: Mary Ives Memorial Service
Time: Feb 18, 2023 02:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/819…
Meeting ID: 819 4263 2448
Passcode: newworld
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