Mary H. Beck

Mary H. Beck, 85, of Terre Haute, IN, formerly of rural Flat Rock, IL, died at 2:20 a.m. on Saturday, June 2, 2018 at Meadows Manor East in Terre Haute. She was born September 22, 1932 in Chicago, IL the daughter of Albert Hocking & Frances (Illyes) Hocking, both of whom preceded her in death. She married Alan Beck on January 25, 1969, and he preceded her in death on April 1, 2004. She was also preceded in death by her brother, David Hocking. She is survived by her children, Susan & Ralph Strzalkowski (Niles, IL), Bill & Janet Fleming (Dekalb, IL), Jim & Lynn Fleming (Steger, IL), Pamela & Gary Stevens (Terre Haute, IN); by her step-daughters, Marla Waltz (Greenbriar, TN), and Janis Roth (Florence, TX); by 6 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren; by one great-great-grandchild on the way; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Mary’s family grew up in Chicago, but moved from base to base with her father, who was an officer during WWII. Upon graduating high school, she enrolled at Northwestern University, where she would go on to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree. She worked as a medical technologist in Chicago for a time before becoming a mother. From then on out, she dedicated her life to caring for her family. In her free time, Mary could often be found knitting, having made countless afghans, hats, and scarves over the years. Later in life, she enjoyed traveling, and visited Alaska, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Yellowstone, among other locales. Mary will be remembered as a sweet but sassy woman who lived a life of love and humor. She was truly one-of-a-kind. A time of visitation will be held from 3:00-6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 7th at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Palestine. Funeral services will immediately follow and will be held at 6:00 p.m. Thursday evening at the funeral home with Celebrant Curt Goodwine officiating. Following cremation, a graveside service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 8th at the Palestine Cemetery. In honor of her love of animals, memorials may be made to the Crawford County Humane Society, with envelopes available at the funeral home.