Mary Lou McGowan
June 16, 1929 - March 29, 2018
Obituary
Mrs. Mary Lou McGowan passed away peacefully at her home in Lake Tapps WA, on March 29, 2018. The cause was living a full life and ready to be at rest. Mary Lou was a devoted, wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother and friend to all.
Mary Lou was born on June 16, 1929, in Braddock Pennsylvania. Shortly after graduating from Braddock High School, she married her life-long partner, John H. McGowan. In 1960, John and Mary Lou moved from the Pittsburgh area to Seattle where John started his career at Boeing. After Boeing related transfers to Cape Canaveral, Florida in 1961 and Santa Maria, CA from 1966-1969, Mary Lou and John returned to the Seattle area living in the Burien area until their move in 1984 to Tapps Island at Lake Tapps, WA.
Mary Lou had many attributes. She: was an accomplished Bridge player, achieving “Life-Master” status in her early-30’s; taught art classes for 3 years at St. Mary’s School in Santa Maria, CA; participated in community theater productions both in Santa Maria and Seattle; enjoyed Toastmasters and tending to her husband and six children; worked for many years in administration at Harborview Hospital retiring in 1991; and later in life, received the honorary nick-name “Muckleshoot Mary” for her frequent patronage of the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn, WA.
Mary Lou and was also predeceased by her parents, Cornelius R. Tolan and Anna E. (Kearney)Tolan, and by her siblings Bernard J. “Bud” Tolan, Cornelius “Neil” Tolan and Anna Jean Baklarz. Mary Lou was survived by her children, John “Cory” (Linda), Kathleen, Patrick, Daniel (Susan) and Tracey (Matt), and her grandchildren, Shana, Sara, Sean, Alyx, Erin, Danielle, Leanna, Taylor, Jack and Kylie, as well as her great-grandchildren, Ryan, Ayden, Cole, Reilly and Stella.
Services will be held on May 5, at 11:00 am at Bonney-Watson located 16445 International Blvd, SeaTac, WA. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to: East Pierce Fire & Rescue (http://www.eastpiercefire.org/) and/or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (http://www.jdrf.org/).
McGowan family,
I am very sorry for the loss of Mary Lou.