Mary Henry

The youngest of four children born in Chicago to Mabel Walsh Walz, a milliner, and Charles Arthur Walz, a pharmacist, she was two days old when she lost her mother in the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918. She grew up in Hartington, Nebraska, where her father had resettled his family and married Frances Mackenbrock, her beloved stepmother. She returned to Chicago, where she met and in 1944 married John Edward (Jack) Henry, who died in 1990. Mary attended secretarial school in Chicago and worked at Midway Airport during World War II, where she expedited flights for high-priority military personnel. After moving from the Chicago area to Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1958, she was active in the parish of St. Mary Nativity, and she volunteered and served on the boards of the Uniontown Hospital and Public Library. She was most proud of her participation in the efforts to acquire the first MRI machine for the hospital and to build a new library building. She enjoyed tennis, golf, and growing house plants, especially African violets, but her greatest passion was for duplicate bridge, often as an active member of up to six bridge clubs at a time. She continued playing until the age of 95, when arthritis prevented her from holding cards in her hands. She and Jack enjoyed traveling, too. They made frequent trips to California and several trips abroad. She was particularly fond of Switzerland and Ireland. She moved as a widow to Tampa in 1993, where her new bridge-playing friends were a source of great joy and camaraderie. Their kindness and assistance with shuffling and dealing the cards touched her heart, and kept her in the game despite her advancing arthritis.

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Mary Lillian (Walz) Henry, 98, died peacefully in Tampa, Florida, on October 21, 2016 after a brief illness. The youngest of four children born in Chicago to Mabel Walsh Walz, a milliner, and Charles Arthur Walz, a pharmacist, she was two days old when she lost her mother in the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918. She grew up in Hartington, Nebraska, where her father had resettled his family and married Frances Mackenbrock, her beloved stepmother. She returned to Chicago, where she met and in 1944 married John Edward (Jack) Henry, who died in 1990. She is survived by six children and their spouses, Margaret Ann Henry of Tampa, Florida, Jane Elizabeth and Albert Schoenborn of Shell Beach, California, John Gregory Henry of Reno, Nevada, Mary Katherine and Keith Carpenter of Waldwick, New Jersey, Elizabeth Ann and Dale Veeneman of Southborough, Massachusetts, and Rosemary Elizabeth and Wayne Curtiss of Tampa, Florida; thirteen grandchildren, David Petro, Stephanie and Ed Watson, Sarah Petro, Bridget Domaszek, Alexander, Nicholas, and Jane Carpenter, Brendan, Conor, and Katherine Veeneman, Kendall and Jeffrey Attinella, and Rhett Curtiss; and four great-grandchildren, Sean and Jack Domaszek, Linnea Watson, and Remy Rose Attinella. In addition to her husband of 46 years, Mary was preceded in death by her brothers Charles, Edward, and John. Mary attended secretarial school in Chicago and worked at Midway Airport during World War II, where she expedited flights for high-priority military personnel. After moving from the Chicago area to Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1958, she was active in the parish of St. Mary Nativity, and she volunteered and served on the boards of the Uniontown Hospital and Public Library. She was most proud of her participation in the efforts to acquire the first MRI machine for the hospital and to build a new library building. She enjoyed tennis, golf, and growing house plants, especially African violets, but her greatest passion was for duplicate bridge, often as an active member of up to six bridge clubs at a time. She continued playing until the age of 95, when arthritis prevented her from holding cards in her hands. She and Jack enjoyed traveling, too. They made frequent trips to California and several trips abroad. She was particularly fond of Switzerland and Ireland. She moved as a widow to Tampa in 1993, where her new bridge-playing friends were a source of great joy and camaraderie. Their kindness and assistance with shuffling and dealing the cards touched her heart, and kept her in the game despite her advancing arthritis. Mary will be laid to rest at Florida National Cemetery with her husband, who had served as a Naval Intelligence Specialist in Hawaii during World War II. A memorial gathering will be held at Blount & Curry MacDill Chapel, 605 S. MacDill Ave on Thursday, November 10th from 11am-12pm prior to the inurnment.