Mary E. Morrow

By Sue Morrow Daughter No. 5 (the youngest) Our mother was the quintessential organizer. But she didn’t figure a pandemic would throw a wrench into her funeral plans, which she organized with great detail long ago. The instructions were in her beloved handwriting that started to falter only a few months ago. Mary Elizabeth Wolsieffer Morrow was born in Lafayette, Indiana, on November 2, 1917. She spent her life in Indianapolis, where she and Charles Vincent Morrow raised five daughters. Mary died on February 5, 2021. She was 103. Mary wanted her Catholic funeral Mass to be a big deal: A large celebration of life with hundreds of friends and family singing, praying and telling stories. Faith was her cornerstone and her reason for doing anything “the right way.” Because of the pandemic, adjustments have been made. This obituary highlights a few of the songs -- Mary’s playlist -- she requested. They are reflective of her life and the impact Mary Morrow had on countless people. “Be Not Afraid” Her requested entrance song epitomizes our mother. Whatever she faced in life, she did it fearlessly. Mary and her brother, John, had a difficult childhood. For several years as young children, they were raised by a woman we knew as Aunt Florence whose nurturing was instrumental in Mary’s desire to create an environment centered around family. Mary graduated from Shortridge High School, completed a comptroller class and got a job at William H. Block Co. department store in downtown Indianapolis. Her story can’t be told without her husband of 61 years. Mary and Charlie -- or “Bud” as she fondly called our dad -- met on a blind date that, as she told it, lasted 10 minutes. Dad was a smoker and Mom wasn’t so sure about him. They ended the date. By chance about a year later, they bumped into one one another in downtown Indianapolis near the Monument Circle. Both dapper dressers, Mary was on her way to work, and she was now a smoker. Charlie invited her out again, and the rest is history. From then on, they did everything together, including ceasing to smoke. Charlie had thought about becoming a priest -- until he met Mary. And she explained to us that she had been seeking a religion when they started to date. In 1936, with guidance from our dad, she converted to Catholicism and joined his church, St. Peter & Paul Cathedral, where they were married on May 28, 1938. Charlie died in November 1999. He was 85. They had five daughters. All Mary wanted was a large family, and she often said she would have more children if God would have let her. There are many family friends who are considered the sixth, seventh and eighth, etc, daughters. They had 12 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Psalm 23: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want Mom lived her creed and she always gave to others. Our family was, at best, middle income. Mom worked at Bowers Envelope Co. for 17 years and Wabash Life Insurance Co. for three years. She taught us how to sew, making our clothes -- and hopefully modeling our parents’ good sense of fashion. They moved from the Broad Ripple area of Indianapolis to Carmel in 1975, where she and Dad became active and beloved members in Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. Mom was known for making rosary beads and scapulas. They participated in Christ Renews His Parish and became known to just about everyone in the OLMC community. Mom volunteered at St. Augustine’s Little Sisters of the Poor for many years and became a resident in 2012. At first, she kept her car and had an efficiency apartment that was like a cozy nest. A life-long swimmer, she drove to the pool three times a week to swim laps. She stopped at the age of 98 when she gave up driving. And she joked that it was also “more difficult to pull up my swimming suit at this age.” “On Eagle’s Wings” “On Eagle’s Wings” was her request during Communion. It is a song of uplifting peace and serenity. Mary was notorious for unabashedly singing off-key during Mass. The louder the better. It made her happy. It brought her closer to God. When she saw we were not abiding by her example, with a smile and not missing a beat, a hymnal was thrust into our hands. In her late 80s with friends, she traveled abroad (the only time) and saw the Pope in Rome. On a trip to Northern California to see family, she went wine tasting. Mary rarely drank alcohol, but she took small sips at each winery and called it “bar hopping.” On her 92nd birthday, she kayaked the Weeki Wachee River and saw manatees in the crystal-clear waters in Hernando County, Florida. She paddled, but her sleek rig was tethered to a professional kayaker. “Precious Lord Take My Hand” (Song of Farewell) For the past year, Mom started talking about seeing Dad again. She said she talked to him and could feel his presence. Always a realist, she understood that her body was getting tired. She managed congestive heart failure very well until a few weeks ago. Her life at St. Augustine’s was blessed. The nuns and staff looked after her like she was a rock star -- or, more apt, a saint. She drove her scooter down the hallways maybe a little too fast and had a walker marked with her name stationed at several places in the building to accommodate walking short distances. She had her own corner in the sewing room where she crafted Christmas gifts for the annual holiday fundraising sale. She was fiercely independent and always felt like a burden when she needed to ask for something. The Little Sisters were with Mom during her final hours in the early morning. They were saying a rosary when Mom took off her oxygen and placed it over the bed railing. She’d had enough and was ready to see her Charlie and her Lord. Ten minutes later, she was at peace. Mary is survived by five daughters: Connie Henn and Terri Smith, Indianapolis; Mary Beth Rose, Florida; Gloria Kenne, Idaho; Sue Morrow, Athens, Ohio; 12 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her husband, Charles Vincent Morrow, and brother, John Wolsieffer. Social distancing protocols will be observed at both services: Visitation for Mary will begin at 5:00 pm on Tuesday, February 9th and conclude at time of Recitation of the Rosary at 7:00 pm at Leppert Mortuary - Nora Chapel Mass of Christian Burial for Mary will begin at 10:00 am Wednesday, February 10th at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church in Carmel. Please join Mary's family via live stream at 10:00 am at: www.leppertmortuary.com Mary will be entombed next to Charlie at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Indianapolis. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Augustine, 2345 W 86th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46260 Online condolences available at: www.leppertmortuary.com