Mary Blair Wescott

Mary Blair Wescott passed away on September 10, 2013. She was a proud San Diego native, as are three of her four children. Born in 1932 in Mercy Hospital, she was the second daughter of Grace and Harold Blair. Her mother taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Montana and her father was a teacher in the San Diego School District for many years.

Mary graduated from Hoover High School and attended San Diego State College for one year, studying to be a teacher. In spite of being warned to avoid the many sailors in San Diego, Mary went on a blind date with a young sailor named Vernon. He wasn’t looking for anything serious and just wanted someone to spend time with while in town. Despite their best intentions, love prevailed. The rest is history and the result is a large loving family. Mary and Vernon celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary this year.

Doug was born in Connecticut when his parents moved back to be with Vernon’s family. It only took a year for Vernon to be reminded of why he left in the first place and they came back to San Diego and good weather.

Once back in San Diego, Mark followed 4 years later, then Iola (Loli) and Lynn. Mary was very devoted to her family and is remembered as a good cook, and a wonderful hostess who held sit down Thanksgiving dinners for 28 people. She thought pie crusts were easy to make so she enjoyed making extra crusts during the holidays and gave them to friends who found it to be a difficult task.

Mary was also an accomplished seamstress. She made most of her children’s clothing and when grandchildren started coming along she hand stitched receiving blankets for them and then graduated to quilts. She even made Lynn’s wedding dress.

Mary loved to read, had a great sense of humor, and could think of (and sing!) a song for any situation. She ran Election Polls in her garage for 35 years and was an avid Chargers fan.

Vacations were mostly camping and once the family expanded with in-laws and grandchildren, the whole group would often camp on Palomar together and take trips to Yosemite and Yellowstone.

Mary was very involved with her grandchildren, providing day care for Stephen and Lori, and love, time, and assistance with all the others.

Mary is survived by Douglas and his wife Kathleen whose children are Brady and Kelli. Two of her great-grandchildren are Kelli’s sons Henry and Sullivan. Son Mark is married to Jenny and their children are Stephen and Lori. Loli’s daughters are Jessica and Mary, with Jessica’s children, Lucinda and Joaquin being Mary’s two other great-grandchildren. And Lynn Beckman completes the family with husband Daniel and twins Cassandra and Kyle.

Mary has a surviving sister, Stella Henry, and she was pre-deceased by her parents and her sister Kay, who died of polio in 1948.

In lieu of flowers, please contribute to the San Diego Zoo.

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/donate/memorial_and_tribute_gifts.html