Mary Easton

Mary Theresa Easton (nee Marcheski) was born to Harold and Eleanor Marcheski on September 13, 1931 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. She was only 3 pounds at birth, and although she remained small in stature she was also known in our family as Big Mary.

Mary had three brothers and three sisters. Along with her parents, her brothers Tony and Johnny and her sister Eleanor, preceded her in death. Her brother Jimmy and sister Rita Kertz (John) still reside in New Jersey and her sister Rosemary Jones (Ted) lives in West Virginia.

Mary graduated from Holy Spirit High School in Atlantic City in 1951. After graduating, Mary entered the workforce first as a typist, then as a clerk at the Planter Peanuts store on the Atlantic City Boardwalk.  She also enjoyed going to USO dances and roller skating, which is where she met her husband of 68 years, Robert (Bob) Easton.

Bob and Mary married on September 19, 1953 and lived between New Jersey and in California, where Bob’s family resided. Mary is survived by Bob and their four daughters: Theresa Rowe (Dale) and Kathleen Easton (Jon), who were both born in California, and Donna Brown (Larry) and Mary Myers, who were both born in New Jersey.  From their four children there are 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

While living in Gibbsboro, NJ, Mary was very active in the community and served as a leader in the local Women’s Club, PTA, and Campfire Girls. She was instrumental in founding the town’s library and organizing local talent to provide children’s dance classes. Mary also helped organize many parades, carnivals, and Saturday movie days in the school’s “all purpose room”.  Mary was also known at the Elementary School as the “Easton Bunny” because at Easter time, she would dress in a bunny outfit and distribute candy to the classrooms. The back of the family station wagon was often loaded with hoagie sandwiches that Mary and family assembled, then transported to the school for sale at various events.  We all fondly remember when a barrel of pickles spilled in the back of the car, which then forever smelled like a rolling deli.

Mary and Bob moved back to California (San Jose) in 1970, where they remained for 30 years before moving to Colorado to be closer to their grandchildren. While in San Jose, Mary worked as an Avon lady – often delivering the goods to her customers via the double-basketed blue bicycle she enjoyed riding.  Mary also attended night school and completed all the necessary coursework to become a certified Medical Assistant.  Once certified, Mary got a job at Kaiser Permanente, first in Sunnyvale, then transferring to the San Jose Cottle Road facility. Mary enjoyed her work and gained several lifetime friends through the experience. One of Mary’s proudest accomplishments was procuring medical insurance coverage “for life” for both herself and Bob.

Mary retired from Kaiser and moved to Colorado with Bob in 2000.  Here, they quickly became fixtures in the town of Foxfield. They were involved in the town’s governance and development groups and were fixtures at the July 4th planning groups for many years. Mary was back to helping with parades and making sure there were fun activities for the children.

Mary also enjoyed shopping at Outlet stores and antique shops. Many a weekend were spent on those activities with “where are we having lunch” being a highlight, along with a Starbuck’s Mocha with whipped cream on the way home.  Mary also enjoyed watching football and was a big San Francisco 49ers fan, particularly when Joe Montana was part of the team.  She would often cheer for the ‘wrong’ team as she just enjoyed seeing a player do well no matter which team they were on.

Mary was the picture of a ‘cute little old lady’, who favored pastel-colored clothes and white purses that Bob was frequently seen carrying for her. As she got older, she enjoyed getting as many ‘white hair’ discounts as she could and could famously return any item for a full refund and redeem any coupon, even if expired.

Mary was well loved and respected and memories of her will forever be cherished. As a friend and neighbor recently said, “Heaven just gained a new Angel in charge”.  Rest well Mary.

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Service information for Mary is below.