Mary Lou Conrad

Mary Lou was born on October 16, 1926 in Findlay, Ohio to Robert and Thelma (Glick) Bartscht. Four years later she and her doggie named Pepper were allowed to have free run except at busy times in her parent’s restaurant. She and Pepper made friends with a frequent customer whom she knew as Mr. Taylor. Within a year they lost contact until she saw him in downtown Findlay seven years later. She ran to him, hugged him and made pleasantries and then asked for a signature as she had just received an autograph book as a Birthday gift. He signed “TELL TAYLOR” and wrote the following:

“THE ROSES RED AND CORN FLOWERS BLUE

MAKE ME THINK OF A LITTLE DOGGIE AND A LITTLE GIRLIE I KNEW

PEPPY WAS THE DOGGIE AND THE LITTLE GIRLIE WAS MARY LOU”

“TELL TAYLOR” was the song writer and Lyricist that wrote and published “Down by the old Mill Stream”

At the age of twelve she travelled alone by train from Findlay to Los Angeles where she was met by her favorite Aunt with whom she spent the summer. This trip whetted her appetite for more travel which lasted for the rest of her life. She graduated from the Findlay Public School System in 1944 and then moved to North Hollywood, California with her parents. She saw an opportunity to become an Airline Stewardess, which was her heart’s desire since age 13. She became a United Airlines Stewardess and flew many routes throughout the United States. As she moved upward from the small DC-3 to the DC-5 she was assigned to Washington, D.C. where she met 2nd Lieutenant David M. Conrad, USAF on March 15, 1952. She and David were both dancing at an Officer’s Club in NW Washington which turned into a Whistle Dance. They both released partners, turned and saw each other. It was love at first sight. They never released each other and have no idea as to whether that whistle blew again or not. During a whirlwind romance, she decided life as a Military Wife sounded good. They married in Arlington, Virginia on June 6, 1952. There was a brief assignment to Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi, which lasted six weeks. The Military activity caused by the Korean War disrupted many military assignments. David was quickly reassigned to a vacant key position in a USAF Alaskan Radar Calibration Unit. On November 7, 1952 Mary Lou arrived in the Territory of Alaska. Within less than a year, Mary Lou found a small Airline in Anchorage looking for an airline stewardess. She flew for Cordova Airlines throughout southwest Alaska for the final two years of their tour. It was a much more exciting life being a Stewardess in the Territory of Alaska than in the 48 States. This activity also whetted her appetite for travel and exploration even more.

She had been the ideal Stewardess as she made friends easily and quickly and had a phenomenal ability to remember and match names to faces. After welcoming the passengers aboard, she was able to call all of them by name.

Following the Alaskan Tour, She became the typical Airforce Wife and Mother. She had 2 daughters and a son, after which she said “enough”. Throughout the years she was Class Mother, PTA Member and Officer, helped with class plays, functions, and whatever else came along. After the Children graduated from elementary grades she changed to volunteering at Base Hospitals and Chapels.

David was assigned to the Pentagon from 1967 to 1972. Mary Lou became a volunteer at the Arlington Military Cemetery as an Arlington Lady. She represented the USAF Chief of Staff at Air Force Veteran Burials. Frequently the Widow was the only family member present. Mary Lou would express the Chief’s condolence; provide her a printed card putting into words the Militaries’ thanks for his service and sympathy for her suffering. Then Mary Lou would provide support throughout the Military Funeral Service. Afterwards she would ensure the Widow was capable of returning home. Mary Lou was exceptionally proud that she had been able to provide this service.

The Conrad Family was moved to Wiesbaden, W. Germany in August 1972, then to Athens, Greece in 1973, and Richards Gebaur AFB, Kansas City, Missouri in 1974. During this period of time, she visited the Countries bordering W. Germany, then most of the Countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Once back in the States her full interest turned to her children entering back into American Schools, either high school or into college. All three of her children earned at least a Master’s Degree, One received a Doctorate. She drove home to her Daughters that they must have an avocation that would enable them to support a family. They both passed their Certified Public Accounting Tests with flying colors. One scored in the Top Ten out of several thousand that took the test with her. One Daughter returned from Europe to register at her fourth High School in a row. She placed sixth in her class at graduation. Mary Lou was always prouder of her Children’s successes than even her pride from the Arlington Lady’s role.

There were still two more Military Transfers facing the family. They went to Tinker Air Force Base in 1975 and to Germany again in 1979 and then retirement from the Service in 1981. This was the first occasion for her son to be back in the state where he was born. Her youngest, a boy, was born in 1959 while her husband was at Oklahoma State University, at Stillwater, Oklahoma. Mary Lou always got a big laugh out of his being questioned at school by the other students as to where he was from. He always answered “I was born in Stillwater”, it always came back, “You don’t talk like an Okie!”

Wherever she lived, Mary Lou always participated in base activities, especially at the Chapel and the Wives Club. She frequently ended up singing with the Choir and helping in the children’s programs. She held numerous officer positions at the Clubs, often as the Treasurer. She especially enjoyed participating in whatever program the Club would present as the social event of the year. Once she was one of the dancers in an Arabian Night Revue. Another Club had a cowboy theme and she was in the chorus singing and dancing in a Cow Girl outfit. On one base early-on in their Air Force life they lived in multiple unit Town Homes, she along with the other three Ladies came up with building decoration themes. They won Grand prizes two years in a row with different themes.

Prior to their departure for Germany in 1979 Mary Lou showed extreme a plume in successfully ensuring that her children were safely ensconced in three separate cities. Her daughters, who graduated from College in ‘77 & ‘79; respectively, settled in Texas within several hundred miles of each other but working for different branches of the same Big 8 Accounting Firm. Her son was starting his 2nd year at Oklahoma State University. The girls were settled in apartments and her son in a university dormitory. The house had been rented to a Canadian Officer who was assigned to Tinker AFB. Mary Lou handled all of these tasks without any difficulty.

Both Girls decided to marry in 1980 while she was living in Germany. Mary Lou did a balancing act, travelling back and forth setting up a January church wedding in Houston, Texas and a July wedding outdoors in Delaware. The two weddings were entirely different but both were successes.

The new assignment was in S.W. Germany, west of the Rhine River and just north of France. David was the Peace Time Commander of the NATO Kinsback Under-Ground Facility (KUF) which included the largest NATO communication distribution center in Europe. Mary Lou watched the effectiveness of the German Forces during a Green Party political demonstration. Inside the KUF fence were German Red Berets, authorized to kill when protecting nuclear facilities. The High Sheriff was also inside the Fence.

The German Political Green Peace Party was outside the fence. After a certain period of time the Sheriff announced that the Green Party had exceeded their legal time. The Green Party grouped closer together in a defensive mode. Nothing happened for about an hour, and then the individual party members raised up looked around, got up and departed. There was to be no action, there wasn’t enough press or spectators in this semi-isolated location.

The location was ideal for quick trips to Paris, Milano, Venice, Vienna, and Salzburg. Within Germany it

was close to Oberammergau (wood carving), border area close to East Germany (many crystal factories), Munich, and many Cities in Switzerland. Mary Lou frequently guided family and close friends through East Germany in a closed overnight military train to West Berlin, through ‘Check Point Charlie’ by closed bus into East Berlin and shopping and dinner. She would also take many to Pairs or Venice. Mary Lou was practicing for when she and David after retirement could really travel. It was still the heart of the Cold War and the only volunteer work she could find was heading a group preparing military families, except the husbands, for a hasty departure from Germany should the Russians start westward.

Mary Lou found many opportunities for Volunteering after retirement and settling in Round Rock,Texas. She soon hit her stride in travelling with David, Girl Friends, or the Friendship Force. First, she and David did a three month free-lance tour of the Far East. They used military aircraft and housing when seats or rooms were available. This is true of a good part of their travelling in the beginning, later she preferred commercial which accommodated schedules better; A three week bus tour of Mexico sponsored by a local Austin Bank, and a commercial three week vacation on the Southern Mediterranean Coast of Spain including parts of Northern Africa. Eventually Mary Lou had included two trips to China, most of India plus Nepal and SE Asia. She travelled with the Friendship Force in 1972 by air to Berlin, then a train through Poland, Bellaire, and on to Moscow where she spent a week living with a Family. Her last trip outside the country prior to the 2008 move into the Village of Tanglewood was the four Countries comprising the southernmost part of Africa. Mary Lou had visited over seventy-seven countries. All of the fifty U. S. States all of the Continents and stuck her toes in the water of all the Oceans. She had visited almost all of the famous sites in the countries she visited, I.e., Taj Mahal, Machu Picchu, Victoria Falls, Ayres Rock, The Sphinx, and Lake Titicaca. Before she counted a country or state she had to have used the bath room. Her trips throughout the lower 48 States ended in 2013 at age of 87 when she became a semi-invalid.

She is survived by her husband, David; three children: Cynthia Conrad, Husband Cletus; Lori Workin, husband Peter; and Kurt Conrad, wife Dena. Eight grandchildren: Katrina Bayer, Rachel Workin, husband Brad; Jacob Bayer, wife Crosby; Nicholas Bayer, wife Jennie; Laurel Conrad, Madison Conrad, Jonathan Conrad and Ian Conrad. Three great granddaughters: Emerson, Arden and Esmae Bayer.

A celebration of life is to be conducted at three o'clock in the afternoon on Thursday, the 30th of May, in the Town Hall of The Village of Tanglewood, 1600 Augusta Drive in Houston.