The second eldest of five children, Mary was born on November 24, 1927 to Catherine (Hatala) Faketty and Michael M. Faketty in Youngstown, OH. The family moved to Manistique, MI in 1931, where she attended St. Frances de Sales School. During WWII, she moved to Omaha, NE where she worked as a childcare giver for her relatives and also worked in a factory to help with the war effort. After the war, she moved home to Manistique.
In 1956 she moved to Lansing, MI where she worked as a waitress at Dines and Archie Tarpoff’s restaurants. She was married in 1959 and had one daughter. Mary lived in East Lansing, MI for 60 years, 51 of them in the home where she died. She loved to work in her flower garden and decorate outside and inside for all of the holidays. Mary loved children very much, as well as her pet cats and dogs. Her favorite activities included gardening, decorating, watching home & garden and cooking shows on TV, reading, solving crossword puzzles and word games, knitting, and crocheting.
Mary was a dedicated and hardworking restaurant employee, serving her customers with kindness, care, humor, and great accuracy and efficiency. In her 60’s and 70’s, she worked as a banquet server and in 1989 was awarded Employee of the Year by the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Lansing. She retired in 1999.
Mary was a faithful and devoted Catholic. After retirement, for over 10 years she was very active as a volunteer at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in East Lansing. She was a member of the Rosary Altar Society and she served as Sacristan, Altar Server and Lector, as well as Eucharistic Minister. She did outreach services at the Burcham Hills Retirement Community and also was a member of the Angeles League, volunteering for Sparrow Hospital. In 2012 Mary was the recipient of the St. Joachim & Anne Service Award. She was described as a true steward to the St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, especially the parish school children.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents Michael and Catherine Faketty, brothers Michael and Frank Faketty, sisters Betty Faketty and Helen Norbotten, brother in law Konrad Norbotten, sister in law Sarah Faketty, and former husband Marshall N. King.
She is survived by her daughter Kathryn S. King of East Lansing, MI, sister in law Patty Faketty of Cooks, MI, and many nieces, nephews, and their children and grandchildren.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in East Lansing, MI on Friday, July 30, at 11 a.m. Prior to the mass, visitation will be held in the church from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Burial is planned for later in the summer at Fairview Cemetery in Manistique.
Gorsline Runciman Funeral Home assisted with funeral arrangements. Memorial donations may be made to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Charities or to the East Lansing Public Library.
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