Obituary for Mary Elizabeth McDaniel
Mary Elizabeth McDaniel, 76, of Louisville, Kentucky, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 18, 2021 after a long illness.
Mary was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee on May 19, 1945 at the Army Air Base to Herbert Luther (Herb) McDaniel and Gene Fogerty Hill McDaniel. After concluding his service with the military, Herb began a life-long career with IBM that took his family across the country from the southwest to the northeast. The family often joked that IBM stood for “I’ve Been Moved”! In their travels together, Herbert, Gene, Mary, and her younger brother, Herb Jr., formed a tight family bond that endured throughout their lifetimes. A gifted writer and musician, Mary studied vocal performance at University of North Texas and went on to earn the Bachelors degree in Magazine Journalism as well as the Masters Degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University. After graduation, Mary worked in public relations and as a consultant and writer for education projects before giving birth to her two children, Emily and Rob. She continued to compose essays and poetry throughout her lifetime, and used her gifts to write the annual reports for the Presbyterian Church, USA, for several years in the 1990’s. She also continued to perform as a chorister and soloist with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in Boston, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, the Louisville Chorus and Orchestra, the Masterworks Chorale in Louisville, Kentucky, and at Anchorage Presbyterian Church and Second Presbyterian Church in Louisville. In addition to her skills as a musician and a writer, Mary enjoyed a life-long love of cooking and poured her creative energy into preparing beautiful meals for her family. Mary will be remembered by all who knew her for her quick wit and laughter, her charm and intelligence, her artistic and culinary gifts, and her love for her family.
She joins her mother and father in eternal rest and leaves behind a daughter, Emily (Michael) Culler, a son, Rob (Alexandra) Curtin, a brother, Herb McDaniel, grandchildren John Curtin, Anna Ruth Culler, and Eleanor Curtin, a large extended family of cousins on her mother’s (Hill Family) side, and numerous friends.
A memorial service for Mary will take place on Thursday, July 22, at 3 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 3701 Old Brownsboro Road, Louisville, KY 40207. The service will also be live-streamed on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCaPZFXiwjhU_byxHdZYH-WA
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Second Presbyterian Church (www.2ndpreslou.org), Georgetown Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, South Carolina (www.georgetownpresbyterian.org), or The Healing Place in Louisville (www.thehealingplace.org).
Mary was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee on May 19, 1945 at the Army Air Base to Herbert Luther (Herb) McDaniel and Gene Fogerty Hill McDaniel. After concluding his service with the military, Herb began a life-long career with IBM that took his family across the country from the southwest to the northeast. The family often joked that IBM stood for “I’ve Been Moved”! In their travels together, Herbert, Gene, Mary, and her younger brother, Herb Jr., formed a tight family bond that endured throughout their lifetimes. A gifted writer and musician, Mary studied vocal performance at University of North Texas and went on to earn the Bachelors degree in Magazine Journalism as well as the Masters Degree in Public Relations from Syracuse University. After graduation, Mary worked in public relations and as a consultant and writer for education projects before giving birth to her two children, Emily and Rob. She continued to compose essays and poetry throughout her lifetime, and used her gifts to write the annual reports for the Presbyterian Church, USA, for several years in the 1990’s. She also continued to perform as a chorister and soloist with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in Boston, the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, the Louisville Chorus and Orchestra, the Masterworks Chorale in Louisville, Kentucky, and at Anchorage Presbyterian Church and Second Presbyterian Church in Louisville. In addition to her skills as a musician and a writer, Mary enjoyed a life-long love of cooking and poured her creative energy into preparing beautiful meals for her family. Mary will be remembered by all who knew her for her quick wit and laughter, her charm and intelligence, her artistic and culinary gifts, and her love for her family.
She joins her mother and father in eternal rest and leaves behind a daughter, Emily (Michael) Culler, a son, Rob (Alexandra) Curtin, a brother, Herb McDaniel, grandchildren John Curtin, Anna Ruth Culler, and Eleanor Curtin, a large extended family of cousins on her mother’s (Hill Family) side, and numerous friends.
A memorial service for Mary will take place on Thursday, July 22, at 3 p.m. at Second Presbyterian Church, 3701 Old Brownsboro Road, Louisville, KY 40207. The service will also be live-streamed on YouTube:
https://youtube.com/channel/UCaPZFXiwjhU_byxHdZYH-WA
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Second Presbyterian Church (www.2ndpreslou.org), Georgetown Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, South Carolina (www.georgetownpresbyterian.org), or The Healing Place in Louisville (www.thehealingplace.org).