Mary P Warren

March 27, 1929 - July 27, 2011

Mary was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from Packer Collegiate Institute in 1947, attended Mt. Holyoke College, and graduated from the University of Colorado in 1951. She received her MA in Christian Education from Union Theological Seminary in 1954. In 1955, Mary met the love of her life, Lindsay Warren, at church when she cut her finger making holiday wreaths and he bandaged it for her. They were married on May 5, 1956. Within the next 3 years, they adopted six children. The family lived in Montana, moved to Salem, Oregon, and eventually settled in Portland, Oregon where they adopted a seventh child.

Along with being the wife of a minister and mother of seven, Mary pursued her lifetime passion for writing. As a little girl, Mary wanted to write books. She would tell stories to her younger sister, Caroline (Lee) and made her own books, which she filled with stories and pictures. Through the course of her career, Mary had 23 books published ranging from early reading books for children to adult non-fiction. Her most well-known books are The City That Forgot About Christmas,which became an animated holiday special; The Land of Christmas, which was translated in to a dozen different languages; and Let the Earth Bring Forth, which has been used in book clubs and Bible study groups. Mary taught at conferences, ran a writers' workshop from her home for 15 years, and often spoke at local schools.

Mary was an avid reader. Mark Twain and Charles Dickens were two of her favorite authors. She loved to garden, bird watch, bake pies and Christmas cookies, and take scenic drives with her husband. Mary was a member of Saints Peter & Paul Episcopal Church, Community of the Holy Spirit, National Author's Guild, Oregon Christian Writers, and the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. She will be missed by her children, family, and friends.

A funeral service for Mary will be held on Friday, August 12, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. at Saints Peter and Paul Episcopal Church, 8147 SE Pine Street, Portland, OR 97215. To honor Mary's memory, non tax deductible contributions may be made to Oregon Christian Writers, 1075 Willow Lake Rd. N, Keizer, OR 97303. Contributions will support their Summer Conference Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Arrangements under the direction of Gateway Little Chapel of the Chimes, Portland, OR.