Long time Fresno resident, Mary Lou Talens, entered into eternal rest on October 13, 2020 at the age of 88 years.
Mary Lou was born March 30, 1932 in Bruce, Wisconsin to Bernadette and Selwyn Forney. The Forney family migrated from Germany to the American colonies in the mid 1700s. Her great-grandfather Paul Weishaar came to the US in 1848 with 40 cents in his pocket and didn’t speak English. He lived the American dream and died in 1913 in Indiana on his 670 acres farm.
Mary Lou grew up on the farm. At an early age, she developed a love for horses and started riding at the age of 9. In Jr High she used to ride in the local rodeos. One of her fondest memories is when her dad bought 300 head of Mustangs in Colorado. She rode on the horse drive from the train station in Shelbyville, IN to their farm some 40 miles in the snow.
Her family moved to Florida in 1946 where she attended Lake Wales High School. After graduation she went to St. Vincent’s School of Nursing in Jacksonville, FL and became a Registered Nurse in 1954. On March 1, 1954 Mary Lou married Dr. Flavio Frank Talens, who was an Intern and Resident in Surgery at St. Vincent’s Hospital. They had four children; two born at St. Vincent’s in Jacksonville, FL and two born at St. Agnes in Fresno. She was an Army wife at Fort Stewart, GA for two years before she and her husband moved their family to Fresno in 1960.
She raised her 4 children in Fresno and at times worked in her husband’s office. She gave up nursing to raise her family. Later she pursued her other passions: books, research and religion. She was the librarian at St Helen’s Catholic School on Belmont. She volunteered at the Fresno County Library downtown for 20 years as the Fresno County Genealogical Society Librarian. She grew the Genealogy Department from one desk and a dozen books to one of the largest Genealogy research centers in the valley.
She was a devout Catholic and taught catechism for 11 years. She took pride in preparing children for their first Holy Communion. She liked music, reading, swimming and traveling. She and her husband have visited all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas.
Her husband, Frank, of 59 years passed away in 2013. Surviving Mrs. Talens are her four children Michael, Rosemary, Kathleen, Mark and daughter-in-law Amy Talens; grandchildren Brittan, and Chelsea Edwards, Steven, Trenton and Devin Talens and Marisa Moakley; great-grandchildren McKenzie, Alexis, Audrey and Adeline Edwards.
A private traditional Latin requiem mass will be held at St John the Baptist in Costa Mesa, CA on October 20, 2020 at 11:00am and streamed live at: https://www.facebook.com/sjboc/. A graveside service will be held at St. Peter’s Catholic Cemetery in Fresno on Wednesday, October 21, 2020 at 11:00am. Cemetery allows 25 masked attendees maximum.
Condolences may be offered
by visiting Fairhaven Memorial Services web site
Fairhaven Memorial Services
27856 Center Dr,
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
949-380-8911
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