Mary Ann Hieronymus

Mary Ann Hieronymus, beloved wife and mother, adored grandmother and cherished sister, aunt and friend, passed away January 18, 2014. She was preceded in death by her parents, Wayne Grover Weaver and Elizabeth Clark Weaver. She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 50 years, George James Hieronymus, Jr., her three children, Holly Suzanne Smetek and husband Patrick, George James Hieronymus, III, and wife Doni, and Brandy Elisabeth Hieronymus; five grandchildren, Patrick Joseph Smetek, II,George James Hieronymus IV, Wylie Nicole Hieronymus, Peter Gabriel Smetek and David Brent Hieronymus; brothers Fred Weaver, Ed Weaver and wife Evelyn; sisters-in-law, Gabriel Marselli and daughter Marcelle Bass, Ann Goulding and June McGannon and husband Tom; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends.

Born August 26, 1944 at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, Texas, Mary Ann was raised in LaPorte and later in Dickinson, Texas. She graduated from Dickinson High School in 1962. While a junior in high school she converted to Catholicism, much to her dad’s dismay. She always had a very strong will, and once she made up her mind, that was that.

Mary Ann married George on April 27, 1963 at St. Patricks Church in Galveston, TX. They lived in Austin for two years while he finished college at the University of Texas. They then moved to New York City for three years and New Orleans for two years before returning to Houston to raise their children in Texas and be with family.

In 1990 Mary Ann moved to Anchorage, Alaska where a whole new chapter of her life began. Because of her love for children, she became a volunteer for CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, a program that recruits, trains and supervises community volunteers to serve as advocates for abused and neglected children in the dependency court system.

Her CASA days were a whirlwind of fun and surprise. One day George came home from work, and there were 5 multicolored children playing the back yard. The oldest was probably 10. The mother had to take the father to the hospital and she had no one else to look after the kids, so she dropped them off with Mary Ann. They grilled hot dogs for supper and had quite a little party. Mary Ann helped many families stay together.

In addition to CASA , she served as a respite worker for the Alzheimers Association for many years, helping families cope with having a loved one suffering with this sickness. Once she started working with someone, she would stay with them until the end.

At home, Mary Ann loved to entertain in her big beautiful backyard where she took advantage of the long summer days by growing a variety of beautiful flowers. She was famous, or maybe infamous, for her margarita parties. They would start with a call to a few friends, and soon, six or eight couples would show up with treats, and the party would begin. The neighbors and their dogs would also drop in for a minute, or an hour, or several hours… B52’s were also one of her staples. A group of her friends had a B52 party for her after she passed while another group had a margarita party in her honor. We know she wished she was with them. These were some of her happiest times. Everybody was always welcome. She truly loved entertaining at home - the more people the merrier! Mary Ann made many good and lasting friendships in Anchorage.

In 2008, Mary Ann and George moved back to Houston to be with and get to know their five wonderful grandkids. She also felt very lucky to be near and be able to spend time with her best friend Gabby Marselli.

Although it was hard to leave their wonderful life in Alaska, they moved to a friendly street with wonderful neighbors and many children that ran in and out of their home day and night. She would pick the grandkids up every day after school and bring them to her house until they went home with their parents in the evening. To hear them running, playing, and laughing with the neighbors always made her smile. It brought out the small child in her that was always so close to the surface.

There are simply no words to express how much sweet, sweet Mary Ann is missed by her family and friends.

A private rosary and funeral mass was held January 24 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Mary Ann’s favorite organization: Friends of Alaska CASA, PO Box 242484, Anchorage, Ak 99524-2484