Mary was born February 9, 1941 in the Los Angeles area to Charles David Smith and Elizabeth Mary Palmer. Mary was the oldest of 4 sisters Mary, Bobbie, Sherry, and Sally. Mary and her sisters were close to each other, going to dinners, fishing trips, shopping, playing BINGO, and gambling at the casinos. She spent a lot of her time working on crafts, making all sorts of things to give to her grandchildren. Mary’s biggest love was cooking during the holidays. She would take days to make her homemade goodies from fudge, candy, cookies, pies and many others. She would always put these tins together to hand out to her sisters, children and friends. Her grandchildren loved to visit her because her home smelled of her baking and she was always giving out samples.
Mary was married early in her life to Jerry Craighead, having four children David (Robyn), Jerry, Ricky (Kim), and Tonja (Chris Bertolucci). They gave her 7 grandchildren (Cara, Wesley, Korie, Noah, Austin, Erica, and Andrew) and 4 great grandchildren (Celeste, Jade, Saige, and Blake). She was mostly a homemaker, having a few jobs in between. After divorcing Jerry, Mary married Walter Wallace on February 9th, 1986. It was then when Mary gained 3 more children Gail, Ruby, and Wayne (Lynne) and additional grandchildren and great grandchildren. She said that these were the best times as they did a lot of travelling and spent many happy years together. On February 8th, 2013 Walter passed away leaving a hole in her life. During her life, Mary had many surgeries and cancers, beating all but the last. She will be sorely missed by all, her family the most.
A funeral service for Mary will be held Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mortuary, 9101 Kern Canyon Road, Bakersfield, CA 93306. A graveside service will occur Tuesday, April 27, 2021 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, 9101 Kern Canyon Road, Bakersfield, CA 93306. A burial will occur at Hillcrest Memorial Park, 9101 Kern Canyon Road, Bakersfield, California 93306.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hillcrestmemorial.com for the Wallace family.
