Mary Christine Reichert

June 6, 1931-March 22, 2020

Mary Reichert was born Mary Christine Tobias in 1931. She lived her entire life in Dayton, Ohio. Her parents were Allen and Cleva Tobias, and she was one of five children: Ken, George, Ron and Dale, of which Ken is the only survivor. Mary graduated from Fairmont High School in 1949. She met her future husband, Carl Reichert, sometime around 1948. Her stunning good looks attracted him after being introduced by her friend, Joy, who was dating Bob Jackowski, an old friend of Carl’s. The rest, as they say, is history. Mary and Carl went on to have a long and happy marriage of 67 years, before his death in 2018. Theirs was a lifelong love story which has inspired all of us.

That marriage resulted in a big and busy household of 6 kids, all of whom survive Mary: Micki (and her husband, Jim), and her kids Tessa and Kalin Del Castillo; Jeff (and his wife Cindy), and their kids Ashley and Amber; Lisa, (and her husband, Zack), and her kids, Alex (and his wife Tiffany) and their kids, Hannah and Aiden; Alyssa (and her husband Jacob), and their daughter Margo, and Colin (and his wife, Lauron), and their daughter Sloan. Also, daughter Tami (and her husband, Bob), and her kids Haley (and her husband Isaiah), and their daughter Penelope, and Maya, (and her husband Dan); Jamie, (and her husband Dana); and Scott (and his wife, Sherrie), and his kids, Lindsey, Austin and Connor. Needless to say, in the years when the whole family congregated for Christmas brunch, that was one BIG table.

Mary was a very talented person, although she never saw herself that way. When her kids were little, she sewed the most beautiful clothes for them, and her hand was steady, her work flawless. Beginning about 40 years ago, she became a prolific knitter, and her legacy in blankets, hats, scarves, shawls, and sweaters will outlive her for many, many years. Her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids will enjoy the fruits of her busy hands throughout their lifetimes. One of the results of aging that Mary was the most troubled by was when her hands just couldn’t do that work anymore and she had to give it up. Her afghans were (and are) warm, beautiful and useful, but they are also symbolic of her love and care for us. It is the rare couch in our family that isn’t draped with one of her creations.

After a brief illness, Mary died peacefully on Sunday, March 22, 2020, surrounded by her kids, and their boundless love. With the help and loving care provided by Hospice of Dayton, her passing was peaceful and dignified. We will be forever grateful for their care.

Due to the Covid-19 restrictions under which we are all living, we will postpone our celebration of Mother’s life until some later date during which we all can meet. We will communicate with various families to share this information when the time comes. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Hospice of Dayton, at https://www.hospiceofdayton.org/donations/ .

On line condolences may be made to www.tobiasfuneralhome.com