Mary Erwin, 92, of Baker City, died April 15, 2007, at St. Elizabeth Care Center.
There will be a celebration of her life at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 5, at the Extension Building, 2610 Grove St.
She was born in the Fort Stockton area at home in Leon Spring, Pecos County, Texas, to Joseph Franklin and Allie Alice Moss Teague. She was the youngest of three children. Her mother was killed and buried on her first birthday.
Six years later, her father married Cynthia Emily Campbell. They had five children. Mary attended school at Cap Rock, Texas.
In 1929, she married Allen Preston Birdwell. They had five children, all of whom were born in Texas.
When World War II started, she became an Air Force nurse whose job was to care for returning soldiers. Her first husband died in October of 1950.
She moved to Bend in January of 1951 and later moved to Madras. She married Asa Burl Erwin in 1955 and they moved to Baker City in 1956. Mary worked as a nurse and also ran many different restaurants. She was a great cook and she loved to make quilts, which have won many awards.
Her second husband died on May 30, 1975. In her later life, she loved to do handcrafts and to redo dolls. She also loved life and her family and friends.
Survivors include three sisters, Jean Cummins, Maude Epps and Gerniva Carruth; her daughter, Elizabeth Hick and her four children, Carla Sue, Tammy Kaye, Dwayne and Gerald Don, all of Texas; her son, Gerald D. “Jerry” Birdwell and his wife, Dru, and their daughter, Liegh Ann, all of New Mexico; grandchildren, Carol Drye and Mickey Hoover, James, Bill and Bob Short, Nita Dunbar and Kaye Grensky, all of Oregon, B.J. Forester and his sisters, Linda and Phylis, all of New Mexico and Texas; and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren from many different parts of the United States; her friends, Lester O. Short and his two sons, Larry E. Short and Calvin L. Elliot; her sister-in-law, Ruth Erwin; and many nieces, nephews and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents; four brothers; and three children, Allie Jo Hoover, Alveen Forester and Marion Eunice Birdwell Short Firkins; four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren; a stepdaughter, Mildred Short; three sons-in-law; and a stepdaughter, Joan Smith.
Memorial contributions may be made to the family or a to charity of one’s choice through Coles Funeral Home, 1950 Place St., Baker City, OR 97814.
Used with permission from: Baker City Herald, Baker City, Oregon, April 18, 2007
Transcribed by: Belva Ticknor