Mary P. Bodling

Army wife, mother, grandmother

Mary Plantan Bodling, age 92, passed away on February 11, 2015 in an Arlington hospice. She was born in Fallentimber, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joseph and Amelia Plantan. They had immigrated from Slovenia when that country was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. She grew up in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. As a young adult Mary was the first woman employee in the plans department of Baldwin Locomotives in Cleveland, Ohio. She returned home when her mother became ill. Later, she moved to Washington, DC to work for the Weather Bureau and the Department of Commerce. Mary accompanied her soldier husband to duty stations in the Far East and Europe. In Germany, she spent much of her free time as a Red Cross volunteer at a U.S Army field hospital. She stayed behind with the children when her husband served two tours in Vietnam. Following return to civilian life and after the children reached adulthood, Mary loved gardening, travelling, and entering local art shows with her original paintings. In recent years declining health kept her from fully enjoying retirement. Mary is survived by her husband of 64 years, Walter J.E. Bodling, of Falls Church, Virginia; daughter Barbara O’Hare and sons Edward and Gerald Bodling, with their respective families, including granddaughters Kathryn, Ann and Ashley, and grandsons Brian and Wesley; brother Edward Plantan of Linwood, New Jersey; sister Amelia Frick of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; brother-in-law Paul F. Bodling Jr. and his wife Elsie of Annandale, Virginia; and relatives in Slovenia. Belgium and France.

Funeral arrangements are handled by Murphy Funeral Home in Arlington, Virginia. Visitation will be 1:00pm – 2:00pm Following a Funeral Service will be held Monday, Feb. 16, 2015 at 2:00pm.