Mary L Nash

On August 27, 1914 a baby girl was born in a farm house north of a little town name Ingham in Lincoln County, Nebraska. She was the eighth child of nine children born to Stephen LaRue and Elma May Johnson. Her parents were in disagreement about what to name her, so the doctor referred to her as “Baby Girl” on her birth certificate. In 1918, when she was four years old, the LaRue family moved to another farm in Frontier County, two-and-half miles east of Curtis, Nebraska, so that the older children could go to high school. When this little nameless girl was almost five years old, her sisters read to her a list of Christian names and asked that she pick one for herself. She chose the name “Mary” and, from that time on, she refused to answer to any of the many nicknames the family had given her.

Mary started school right after her sixth birthday. She and her siblings walked about a mile to their red brick, one room school house during their grade school years. In their high school years, they walked two-and-one-half miles to and from school. When summer came, Mary could be found out in the fields tending to the sheep. When she was a sophomore, she lost both of her parents to illness. Her older siblings kept the farm going until she finished school. She graduated from the Nebraska School of Agriculture in 1932 and stayed with various families during the following year, doing house work for her room and board.

Two of Mary’s siblings moved to Oregon and sent back glowing reports about the luscious, green, Hood River Valley, filled with fruit trees. What a contrast to the hot, dry, dust-bowl years in the sand hills of Nebraska! She longed to go to Oregon. So, at the first chance, she hitched a ride with her brothers, Louis and John, and sister, Flora, who were heading to Oregon, but first a detour to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. She experienced the entire trip riding in the rumble seat of their Model T Ford. She saved her money and did not spend even a dime at the fair because she wanted to be sure they had enough money for gas to get to Oregon. When they finally crossed over into Oregon, Mary expected to see green, fertile land. But, as far as the eye could see, everything was hot and dry. When she was within 40 miles of Hood River, passing through The Dalles, Oregon, Mary almost lost heart until, a few minutes later; they arrived in beautiful Hood River Valley. Yes, it was everything she had expected.

Mary began living with her sister Ethel and Dan Nash in Hood River. Dan had one sister and seven brothers who enjoyed each other’s company on special occasions and holidays. At one of those events Mary met Royal, one of the Nash brothers; they were married in Vancouver, Washington, on January 10, 1938. Their son, Norman, was born while they were still living in Hood River. Royal’s work took them to Medford, Oregon, where daughter, Phyllis, was born. Then his work required a move to Portland, Oregon, where son, Marvin, was born. They purchased a house in Portland in 1942 where they lived happily ever after.

Mary had been a diligent and hard-working mother of three children. She was a good steward of the resources God gave her, keeping the family in clothes, and canning and freezing fruits and vegetables from the garden. Her doors were always open to anyone who needed a home, and she treated them as part of the family.

In 1948 Mary began listening to a religious radio broadcast known as “Wings of Healing”. She was intrigued by gospel message and asked Royal if he would take her to the “Wings of Healing Temple” on SW 3rd and Mill Street in downtown Portland. He was more than willing to take her. She soon found a new life in Christ and she began having a real desire to know more about Jesus and the teachings of the Bible. She attended two years of night school at Bethesda Bible Institute. She learned God’s Word, hid it in her heart, and lived by it.

Mary loved to share with others her new-found faith. One summer she invited several neighborhood children over to her house once-a-week to read Bible stories to them and to share a treat with them afterwards. Over 60 years later, one of those children came back and said, “Thank you for reading those Bible Stories. That is when I began my spiritual quest.”

Mary put her faith to work in many practical ways. For instance, she knew the church needed cleaning, so she volunteered one-day-a-week for several years vacuuming, dusting, and cleaning restrooms at the church. She volunteered many summers to be a cook at the church youth camps. She belonged to the Ladies’ Auxiliary and helped to make quilts for needy people. She even found time to tutor other children without neglecting her own.

Mary was always in the quest of knowledge, especially about the Bible, gardening, nutrition, and matters of health. If someone she knew had a health problem, she would first pray for them and then read everything she could get her hands on about the illness so that she could share with them a possible solution to their health problem.

In their retirement years, Mary and Royal purchased a modest travel trailer and used it to go on several working vacations to help people in need. They might help build a fence, put on a new roof, or even build a new bedroom on a house to accommodate the arrival of a new baby.

Mary was good with words. She did the crossword puzzle in the newspaper each day for years. She wore out three Crossword Dictionaries. She has always loved to read. During the last two or three years of her life she read 2 or 3 library books each month.

Mary was a very independent lady, even after two hip replacements, doing housework, cooking, and laundry, until she fell and broke her right leg just above the knee. There were many complications from that break and it never healed correctly, so she ended up with a short right leg, three inches shorter than her left leg. Balance was a major problem after that.

Phyllis took care of Mary the last 10 years of her life until February 15, 2013, when it was necessary for her to go into a care facility. She was there for three-and-a-half months, then spent one week in the hospital. When in the hospital, in became apparent to the doctor that Mary had very little time left to live. Phyllis asked her, “Mother, do you want to go home to be with Jesus? Or do you want to stay here for your 100th birthday party?” Hesitatingly, she answered, “A lot of people would be disappointed.” (That’s because she had told everyone that she had expected to be here for her 100th birthday party and wanted them all invited.) Phyllis assured her that everyone would rejoice with her when she goes to heaven. Then she said to Phyllis, “I want to go home, but I want to go to your house first.” She did just that and lived the next nine days in a hospital bed at Phyllis’ house. On Thursday, June 20, 2013, 6:30 AM, with her cat, Frisky, on her legs, she made her flight to heaven.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Royal and son Norman. Among those that will miss her most are her daughter Phyllis Nash Spotts and her son Marvin Nash. She will also be missed by her nine grandchildren and fourteen great grandchildren.