Mary Carmela Tremonte Struthers

Born November 19, 1924 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of a trolley mechanic, Antonio Tremonte, who emigrated from Naples, Italy. Her mother, Donata Ialeggi Tremonte, also emigrated from Naples, (Benevento) Italy and together they raised their 4 children, Connie, Mary John, and Anthony. Her mother never learned to read or speak English so Italian was the sole language spoken in the home growing up. The family home was in West Philadelphia.

Mary quit high school at the age of 16 to go to work to support her family after her father passed away during the great depression. She cleaned houses and served as a nanny to a Jewish family. Being a child of the Great Depression, Mary learned to save and budget wisely.

Later, Mary worked in the Philadelphia Navy Ship Yards during World War II, which is where she met her husband, Jack Dewey Struthers, who was in the US Navy. Jack and Mary were married in Philadelphia and travelled to Yakima by train where his family was. Upon coming to Yakima, in 1945 at the age of 21, they lived in a small apartment near St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. While her husband was in the war, Mary worked as a secretary for St. Elizabeth’s School of Nursing. During this time, her first son was born in 1951.

Mary was a homemaker and her husband worked for Sears Roebuck and Allstate for many years. Mary raised 5 children, and was always there for them every day. She made ground-up bologna sandwiches to stretch the family budget which her children promptly traded away at every opportunity during their school lunchtime periods (except for Dona). One of Mary’s favorite places is Cannon Beach on the Oregon Coast, where she and her family would vacation annually, collecting sea shells, sand dollars, picking blackberries and having campfires. Mary supported her children in all their activities, attending almost every Boy Scout and Camp Fire Girls events, swim meets, track meets, football games and all their sporting events. Mary supported Carroll High School where her children attended school, volunteering for the concession stand and attending football games and basketball games as often as possible. She passed the love of Italian food on to all her children, and taught them the secrets to the best Italian spaghetti sauce!

In November 1975 she obtained her GED and high school equivalency credential. Mary’s dream for all of her children was to achieve the highest education possible. She always wanted her children to exceed beyond her.

Mary was an avid member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church. She worked for years as a secretary in the Church Rectory and spent 19 years working at JC Penny. She retired at the age of 76.

She was a devoted member of the Sons of Italy as a tribute to her Italian heritage, and also the YLI (Young Ladies Institute). She also enjoyed her work at the Central Washington State Fair.

Mary is survived by her brother John Tremonte and sister Connie Tremonte, her 5 children, Paul Struthers, John Struthers, Dona Emmons, Mary Jensen and David Struthers. Mary has 8 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren, the newest, baby Wyatt, was born on August 22nd.

Mary leaves funding for a few scholarships to St. Paul’s Catholic School.

Donations can be made in her name to St. Paul’s Cathedral Church and/or grade school - The Highgate Assisted Living Center or Cottage in the Meadow Hospice Center.

A Vigil Service will be held at 6:00 p.m., TODAY, Friday, August 29, 2014 at Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home with visitation continuing until 8:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be 9:00 a.m., Saturday, August 30th at St. Paul Cathedral with interment to follow at West Hills Memorial Park. To share a memory of Mary please visit www.lmfuneralhome.com.