Mary Bishop
Our mother, Mary Bishop died at her home on 3 December 2021. She was born at home in Goldsboro, Maryland on 6 September 1928; the 5th of 6 children of Dillion and Rose Fleming. She graduated from Greensboro High School in 1945, and married our father, George on Sunday, 6 June 1948 following the church service.
After moving 11 times in 18 years they settled in Cheswold, Delaware for 48 years before making their final move to Dover in February 2016, 2 months before our father's death.
Like many women, mom's life was balanced between work and home. Her first job after High School was as a waitress at the restaurant in Greensboro; the same restaurant where our dad proposed to her. After waitressing mom worked short periods at Playtex and DuPont until the birth of their first child, Douglas. After 5 years she returned to Playtex, remaining for 38 years until her retirement in 1992.
On the home front mom supported dad's many interests and encouraged our participation in clubs and activities. She spent many evenings listening to dad and his friends play music and our home was decorated with airplanes. She supported our participation in 4-H, Cub Scouts and Methodist Youth Fellowship. When there was no scout troop she formed a Den and served as the Den mother. She spent many evenings and weekends with us playing cards, board games or putting together picture puzzles.
Mom is survived by three of her four children: Charlene (Olin) Evans of Kenton, Delaware, George (Ronda) of Sumner, Washington, and Jeff (Magdalena) of Crofton, Maryland; six grandchildren, Doug, Jason, Forrest, Amanda, Johnathon and Christina; nine great-grandchildren, Will, Kaylie, Josh, Emma-Lea, Jacob, Ryan, Charlie, Alex, and Emmaline; and two great-great-granddaughters, Charlotte and Emersyn.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, George; her son, Douglas; siblings, William Harvey, James Ralph, Bernice Lillian Laramore, Glen Dillion (Jimmy) and Raymond; and her grandson, Micheal.
Mom and Dad were two people who became one, we will lay them to rest together, each as they requested at the cemetery in Greensboro Maryland. There was a grave-side service for our mother on 10 Dec at 11:00. Following mom's burial, dad's ashes were spread at our mother's grave site.
Our parents created us; gave us our lives, the precious inheritance we receive. They passed to us their strengths and their weaknesses and in these they provided all the tools we needed to navigate life. To paraphrase the poet:
Sometimes they'd fight and
I would lie awake nights
Wishing they'd just get along
But through the bad and the
better they stayed together
Neither was all right or all wrong
But time does erase and
fond memories replace
All the sad scenes from the past
Now what I see are their
gifts given to me
For these I thank my
mom and my dad
In these gifts from
Mother and Dad
I can see they gave me
all that they had
For this I thank my
mom and my dad