MARY F. SLEDGE

Mary Sledge, 93, of Kennewick, WA. passed away on December 11, 2014. She was born August 4, 1921 in Oklahoma City, OK. to Fred and Frances Clark.

Mary grew up in Oklahoma City, OK. graduating from  Central High School in 1939.  She attended Oklahoma A.& M. University in Stillwater, Oklahoma until WWII broke out. She left school to work in a munitions factory as a quality control inspector for 50 caliber ammunition. One day after work in 1942, she and four other female co-workers decided they would enlist in the military to serve and “see the world”.  They didn’t take into consideration they would never be assigned to the same boot camp or see each other again. Mary became a Marine on October 6, 1942 and was assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Mojave, CA. It was during this assignment that she met her soul mate and future husband of nearly 50 years, Dewey D. Sledge.  They met on Valentines Day, 1944 and were married April 29th, 1944. Dwain passed away six weeks before their 50th Anniversary.

Mary moved to Richland, WA. in Dec. 1944 to live with her parents who came from Oklahoma to work for DuPont, and  to await the birth of her daughter. She was advised by Dwain not to gather much “stuff”, that he would come through and pick her up when the war ended.  He arrived Christmas Eve, 1944, went to work at Hanford and she continued to live and work in the area for almost 70 years. Mary was a stay-at-home mom during her kids school years and then became the first female supervisor at the U.S. Postal Facility in Pasco, WA.  She retired in 1983.

Mary has endured several hardships through the years with much grace and poise. She has always been quick to reach out to others struggling with loss or sadness and help them through their storms, even when she had her own mountains to climb.  It didn’t take new acquaintances long to label Mary with the words “stoic”, “strong”, and “proud” .  Her training and strength as a Marine carried her through her final days…she never gave up. 

Her quiet and quick wit was especially witnessed by family and close friends.  Being a child of the depression era she acquired a knack of saving lots of “interesting” things.  When we helped pack up her home prior to her move to the Manor At Canyon Lakes, we found such things as bags of dryer lint and used dryer sheets. When asked what they were for, Mary always had a quick answer…the lint was put out for birds to use in their nests and the sheets were used in an art technique she developed when she was oil painting.  Who could argue with her about that? Mary loved to paint and it was a sad day when her failing eyesight would no longer allow her that pleasure.  Mary was also an avid pinochle player while living at the Manor.  She was proud when she won, but equally as proud to take “low”…either way she got her fifty cents back.

When one of us wanted to help her with any task around the house, she was grateful for the help and would always offer some kind of reward with the comment “Until you are better paid”.  An ongoing family joke began when she offered her grandson, Jeff, a glass of kidney bean juice as his reward for mowing her yard on a hot summer day.  They worked hard to one-up each other continually after that day.

Mary loved to garden and grew beautiful flowers.  She belonged to Flower Fiddlers Garden Club for many years and continued to garden until she sold her home.  She has loved being close to family and taking part in family festivities.  She will be missed by all of us!

She was the middle child in a family of five siblings.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Frances Clark; her brothers, Wayne, Edward, and Keith and her sister Elizabeth.  She is survived by her daughter, Carole (Monte) Jones, Kennewick; her sons, Ronald (Pam Dalton) Sledge, N. Las Vegas, NV, and David (Estela) Sledge, Kalispel, MT.  She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jeffrey (Laura) Jones, Jennifer (Clint) Whitney, Eric (Shannon) Jones, and Kimberly Sledge, and great-grandchildren, Tyler Whitney, Spokane, WA, Christopher Whitney, Kennewick, WA and Signe Jones, Kennewick, WA. Plus several nieces and nephews.

Many thanks to Dr. John Friedline for your care the past 15 years, to Heart Links Hospice Team, Monica, Greg and Kirk and Veronica for wonderful care and compassion during the last few months and to the entire staff at Callaway Gardens, especially  Laura Lee, Lourdes, Sandy, Kara, Lindsey and Mary Pat and all the sweet caregivers.  You are angels!

Inurnment and Military Honors will be held Saturday at 1:00 PM at the Mausoleum at Sunset Gardens (915 ByPass Hwy), Richland, WA. In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a memorial to Heart Links Hospice and Palliative Care, 3920 Outlook Road, Sunnyside, WA  98944 or to a charity of your choice.