Mary Elizabeth Hines

MARION-Mary Elizabeth Hines, 97, passed away at 8:45 AM on July 2, 2004 at Parkway Manor Nursing Home in Marion. Graveside services will be held at 1:30PM on Sunday, July 4, 2004 at Alma Cemetery in Salem with Reverend Steve Palmer officiating. Blue Funeral Home in Marion is in charge of arrangements. Memorials may be made to the Alma Methodist Church or to the Hospice of Southern Illinois and may be sent co, Blue Funeral Home, PO Box 411, Marion, Illinois 62959. After returning from Alma Cemetery, the family will welcome friends at the home of Louise and Jerry Humble, 1314 Shawnee Trail, Carterville, IL from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM Our mother was born March 3, 1907 in Carrigan Township near Patoka, Illinois, the daughter of Jessie (Gray) and Olive Britt. She attended Patoka schools, often riding a horse to school through her junior year in high school. To complete her education, she stayed in a rented room in Salem, Illinois and graduated from Salem High School. When she was 22, she met and married our dad, Carl L. Hines of Alma, Illinois. She worked side by side with him in all his endeavors throughout their married life until his early death in 1958. They complemented and helped each other for 29 years and she remained his wife to the end of her life. They each had four children Elizabeth `Betty` Johnston of Marion, Col. Olive and Annemarie Hines of Fairview Heights, IL, Patricia Ann Miller of Chino, California and Louise and Jerry Humble of Carterville, IL. One of mother`s greatest joys was her family and getting to visit them as they lived throughout the world. She often commented after a trip across the Atlantic or Pacific that she had come a long way from riding a horse to school. She loved the whole idea of travel. After our dad died, Mother had more time for her beloved flowers and became well known for her beautiful yard. At the height of flower season it was not unusual to see cars stopped in front of our home admiring her many flowers. She shared her bulbs and cuttings with anyone who wanted them and her flowers still bloom in many yards in Marion County. No one left her home without the invitation, `Come look at the flowers`. She continued to want flowers around her until the very end. Mother also began to quilt about this same time and became quite proficient at the art although she never considered herself an artist. Before she stopped quilting at the age of 91, she had quilted over a hundred quilts for her church (Alma Methodist Ladies Aid) and her family. Her last bit of quilting was on a quilt for her great granddaughter, Abigail. Mother was also an avid card player. She and our dad often played cards with friends and she continued to do so as long as she was able. She enjoyed winning and was known to invoke `Alma rules` to be able to play the winning card. Mother was quite devoted to her grandchildren and was the type of grandmother who would allow them to pick her flowers with never a cross word although no one else could do that. The grandchildren returned that devotion and were one of her greatest joys. Those grandchildren include Laura (Jeff) McKnight, Dr. Christa Hines, Maria Hines, John Hines, Lisa (Jeff) Becker, Kelly Miller, Shawn (Chris) Miller, Tammi (Scott) Doolittle, James (June) Gray and Joel (Cindy) Gray. Her great-grandchildren are Sarah Stromsdorfer, Oliver Codd, Jaimie Hartmann, Zachary and Abigail Miller, Lucas Becker and Nathan Doolittle.. Mother is also survived by a sister-in-law, Agnes Clesson and her husband, Dean, of Salem, IL plus nieces and nephews who have been very dear to her. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her beloved sister, Lucille Thomas, her two brothers, Lee Britt and Raymond Britt and a son-in-law, C. F. (Dick) Johnston. Mother was many things to many people and each has his/her own special memory but the two most important things she gave to us were roots and wings and that in turn made her a pillar of strength to her family.