Mary Louise (Schmick) Charles of New Hampton died on Friday, May 8, 2020, at Valley View Nursing Home.
She was born on June 10, 1928, in Westtown.
Mary Lou was beloved by all who knew her. She was a retired nurse who enjoyed a long retirement volunteering and traveling. Mary Lou traveled the world and the U.S. with her husband Grant, visiting their children, family and friends.
She was a dedicated wife, mother and friend with a generous heart, a warm smile and great faith. She loved to doll up for a night out and was a meticulous dresser all her life. She was a social butterfly who loved to polka dance, go out to eat and entertain. She loved planning a party and had friends of every age.
Family came first to Mary Lou but her joy was in being a volunteer for the veterans. She was a past president of the PLAV Ladies Auxiliary in Pine Island spending countless hours volunteering at Castle Point Veterans Facility.
She was a kind, thoughtful, generous and fun-loving gal who loved being with family, her friends, Mike and Rudy’s friends and her many nieces and nephews.
A heartfelt thank you to niece Dascha Molnar and special friend Carol Dombrowski for their loving care of her and the staff and caregivers on Valley View Echo unit.
Survivors are son Grant Michael Charles (Irene), daughter Ruthann “Rudy” Charles, sister Shirley Schmick, granddaughter Maria Noel Charles, numerous nieces and nephews and her beloved dogs, “Coco” and “Mia.”
She was preceded in death by her husband Grant Charles, her sisters Elsie Hipe, Patricia Wilson, Ruth Kirshner, Emma Craig, Loretta Williams, Rose Kerr, Jane Sobiech and Ginger Poloniak and brothers Rueben, Samuel, Robert (Sonny), Eugene, Harold, John, Craig and George “Dutch” Schmick.
Due to the health crisis, funeral services will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the PLAV Scholarship Fund, PO Box 16, Pine Island, NY 10969.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the T.S. Purta Funeral Home.
To send a condolence online, please go to www.purtafuneralhome.com.