Mary L. Wilson, 84

July 30, 2016

Mary L. Wilson (nee Davis) passed away July 30, 2016, at age 84, in Lancaster, PA. Mary served as an elementary school teacher in the Southern Columbia Area school district in Elysburg and Catawissa, PA, for many years. She and her husband, Richard, were longtime members of American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE) and the American Volkssport Association (AVA). They spent much of their retirement traveling the country to ride roller coasters, participate in volksmarches, and attend Penn State football games. Mary also enjoyed knitting and was a chocolate connoisseur.

Mary was born in Shenandoah, PA, on April 15, 1932, the daughter of Charles H.O. and Elizabeth M. (Leitzel) Davis. She attended Liberty High School in Bethlehem, PA, and graduated from the Pennsylvania State University in 1953. Mary and Richard recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in the presence of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandson.

Mary is survived by her husband, Richard L. Wilson (Lancaster); her four children, Linda W. Nicholas and her husband Tom (Ephrata, PA), Richard L. Jr. and his wife Tracey (Catawissa, PA), Thomas L. and his wife Melanie (Harrisburg, PA), and Becky A. Blass and her husband Jeff (Catawissa); her ten grandchildren, Richard L. III and his fiancé Michelle Guyer (Mt. Carmel, PA), Robert P. and his partner Dani Tanner (Johnson City, NY), Thomas R. Nicholas and his wife Stephanie (Richmond, VA), Katie Nicholas and her fiancé Joseph Vowell (Nashville, TN), Amy Nicholas Sparks and her husband Andrew (Chicago, IL), Sarah Wilson Stahle (York, PA), Abbie Wilson (Harrisburg), JoEllen Blass and her fiancé Anudeep, Davis Blass, and Kirstin Blass (Catawissa); her great-grandchild, T.J. Nicholas; and her brother Bill Davis and his wife Nancy (Bethlehem). She was preceded by her sister, Jean Anne Davis.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory to the Brethren Village Good Samaritan Fund, 3001 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA 17606 (www.bv.org).