Mary Lee (Weisweaver) Owen

Mary Lee (Weisweaver) Owen found eternal peace in heaven on February 7, 2024 at 10:32 am.  She had suffered an unexpected stroke at Memorial Hospital, South Bend and was with her husband Bill Ronald Owen, her daughter Rochelle Kathryn Owen (Samuel Wade Sharp), her son Bill Matthew Owen, and his best friend Donald Raymond Ransberger at the time of her passing.  Born and raised in Mishawaka on August 26, 1948, Mary was 75.

Mary was preceded in death by her father Thomas O. Weisweaver and her mother Glennadine H. (Rieffel) Weisweaver.  She is survived by her husband and two children, her step-mother Rita L. (Cabrini) Weisweaver, her brother Thomas R. Weisweaver, four sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, and a vast list of cousins, nieces, nephews, friends, and colleagues from her profession as a beloved educator.

Ron and Mary knew each other from their earliest days at South Side Elementary through graduation from Mishawaka High School in 1966.  During their undergraduate years at Ball State University, they were married at First Christian Church in Mishawaka on August 31, 1968, which began a marriage that would last for fifty-five years.  Without clemency, their lives and studies were disrupted when Ron was selected for military service in 1969.  Mary went on to graduate in 1971 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education and then a Master of Science in Education in 1976, while Ron returned from his combat tour in Vietnam and later graduated from Indiana University.

The two lived briefly in Columbia, South Carolina, where Mary taught at West Cayce School System and Ron began service in the Army Engineering Corps.  They would then settle in Osceola, Indiana, where they had lived since 1973.  As a teacher with School City of Mishawaka for thirty-three years, Mary quickly became known as a luminary in the teaching world.  Faculty, her students, their parents, her principals, and her superintendents all regarded Mary as an exceptionally rare educator who brought joy and compassion to her classrooms, as well as the highest integrity and an inherent gift for teaching.  She was especially adept in the fields of educational psychology and literacy.

Mary was an avid reader who collected books and studied Christianity extensively.  As a member of First Christian Church, East United Methodist Church, and then St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, she was an accomplished vocalist and soloist who performed regularly.  Mary was active in church choirs and studied violin and voice during the 1960s, and she brought life to her teaching with song, particularly as an acoustic guitarist who had a knack for blending folk music with lesson plans.

Mary’s strong faith and distinctive sense of humor carried her through many difficult times.  While she gave a lifetime of support to her husband and countless others, Mary spoke gently at all times, and she was always there for anyone who needed help or someone to listen.  In the words of one of her favorite poets, Robert Frost, “Hope is not found in a way out but a way through.”  Mary held this virtue close to her heart and showed everyone how to do the same.

The family asks for a time of grace as we prepare for her memorial at Cruz Family Funeral Home in Osceola on Wednesday, March 20.  Visitation from 4:00-6:00 pm will precede a service at 6:00 pm, and her interment at Fairview Cemetery in Mishawaka will be on Thursday, March 21 at 10:00 am.  In lieu of flowers, we ask Mary’s friends and family to donate in her name to one of her favorite charities, the Guardian Angel Basset Rescue at http://bassetrescue.org.