Mary Ann (Beatrice) Hughes passed away on June 22 in Blairsville, Georgia, where her daughter Marilyn and son-in-law Don Plankey and the staff of Stonehenge Senior Living lovingly cared for her. She was born on 25 July 1922 to John M. and Anna M. Beatrice of New London, Connecticut. Her husband Howard Hughes preceded her in death while they lived in Barefoot Bay, Florida. Mary and Howard were married on 21 April 1949 in Coral Gables, Florida, and honeymooned in Havana, Cuba. Pan American Airlines employed Mary as a secretary and Howard as an aircraft mechanic.
Mrs. Hughes is survived by her children Larry Hughes, Marilyn Plankey, and Michael Hughes and three grandchildren and four great grandchildren. Mary was a devout Catholic, a member of the Red Hat Society, participated as a Sweet Adeline singer, and enjoyed square dancing and playing the organ.
Mary is responsible for the creative side of her family, providing sock puppets, music, theater, flower arranging, and handmade clothing with her expert seamstress skills. With not much money and a family of 5, Mary was creative in her solutions. These ‘innovations’ included substituting shirt starch for corn starch in a cherry pie with predictable results. She provided optimism and stability to the family and her cross-country jaunts and camping vacations were legendary, a tradition now enjoyed by her grandchildren and their families. Mary’s only known failure was repeated attempts to teach Larry to dance.
Mary will be remembered for a great smile that would light up a room when she entered. A family memorial service will be held in Florida in the near future. Condolences may be sent to the family online via woodstockfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Feed Fannin or to Friends of the Library, both organizations are in Blue Ridge, GA.
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