Mary Canning

All who knew Mary Canning would agree that she was truly beautiful on the inside and out. She could be a bit sassy and sarcastic at times, but with her sense of humor she was always so much fun to be around. Mary was a loving wife and devoted mother who took these roles to heart, but she just may have argued that being a grandmother was her richest reward. Never one to worry about the little things, she took whatever came her way with both grace and courage that were truly an inspiration. Social and outgoing, Mary was a woman of many interests who loved sharing the things she loved with the people she loved. Deeply loved, she will be forever missed. Although the Roaring Twenties were predominantly a prosperous time, the 1930s were a much difference story as the entire decade was cloaked in the hardship of the Great Depression after the crash of the stock market in 1929. Jobs were scarce, the unemployment rate soared, and countless American families lost their homes. Despite the trials around them, William and Uarda Conant Mosher were able to focus on an exciting time in their own lives as they were eagerly anticipating the birth of their new baby as the beauty of May began to unfold in the city of Grand Haven, Michigan, in 1932. Their wait was over when the baby girl they named Mary Louise drew her first breath on May 6th. Her parents had both been widowers who then found each other later on. Mary was their only biological child together, but she did have nine half brothers and sisters, Caroline, Laura, Irene, Helen, Edward, Louis, Raymond, Olene, and Robert. Raised in the family home on Fulton Street in downtown Grand Haven, Mary experienced an upbringing that was typical for the youth of her generation. Her father worked at Eagle Ottawa Leather Company while her mother was a homemaker. The family attended the Nazarene Church together, and Mary attended local schools. Since school wasn't really her thing, she quit when she was 16 and worked various jobs including at the glove factory with her mother. New and exciting changes were in store for Mary when she met the young man of her dreams. His name was Ricard Dick Canning, and he had just gotten out of the military. They met at Marys sisters house, and sparks flew from the moment they saw one another. In fact, Dick had come there to borrow some money but cant recall if he ever borrowed the money at all! With a desire to establish a life together, Mary and Dick were united in marriage on May 9, 1954, at his familys house in Muskegon. The newlyweds initially settled in Muskegon, but they soon moved to a house on Mercury Drive in Grand Haven. They eventually moved to a place on 152nd Street. Together they welcomed four children including Ruby, Debbie, Ricky, Michael into their hearts and home. In addition to caring for her family, Mary worked outside of the home as well. She spent her career as a dedicated machinist for ACE Manufacturing where they made auto parts. Throughout her career, Mary never missed a day of work until retiring in 1994. Always one to busy, Mary enjoyed pursuing many different interests. Both she and Dick were avid CB Radio fans who made many friends over the airwaves. The whole family camped in the pop-up camper at Bear Lake near Manistee and sometimes rented a cabin at Fife Lake. At times, the family camped with their CB friends. Since they were a very social couple, Mary and Dick regularly got together with their friends to play cards including penny poker, cribbage, and euchre. When living in Grand Haven, they enjoyed eating at the fish fry at the Grand Haven Eagles. For years Mary and Dick had a close relationship with Marys niece, Pal, and her husband, Bob, so the four of them often vacationed together. Over the years there were many trips out to Las Vegas, and since they were all country music fans, they visited Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry several times. After the events of September 11th, they stuck closer to home and just visited the Michigan casinos. Throughout their marriage, Mary and Dick enjoyed just doing things together. During the early eighties, they went camping at Holiday Out campground near Hesperia. Mary and Dick loved it there so much that they eventually bought a piece of property nearby that the White River ran through. Over time, they built a house on the property, which became their retirement home. Mary and Dick joined the American Legion in Hesperia where they enjoyed socializing and going to their fish fry events. In 2009, she was deeply saddened with Dicks death. She was able to remain on her own for a time with the help of family and and friends, but eventually she needed more care. It was at that point that Marys son, Michael, moved in to help with her care. She continued to delight in her family and absolutely loved being a grandma. When Marys health began to limit her more, she had more trouble getting around and could only walk rather slowly. Her grandchildren humorously called her Grandma Pokey Butt, which made Mary laugh. She always wanted to look her best and faithfully got her hair done every week as she took great pride in her appearance. Mary did remain as smart as a whip and could work on wordsearch puzzles for hours on end. She also liked watching a variety of shows on the Game Show Network. With a life that spanned times of great change in the world around her, Mary Canning filled her days with the people and experiences she loved. She worked hard in everything she did and loved doing what she could to help those around her. It was easy to see that Mary treasured her family, and it was when surrounded by the love of her family that she was truly happy. She will never be forgotten. Mary Louise Canning died on Monday, November 30, 2015. Marys family includes her daughters, Ruby (Mike Hoffman) Cough of Grand Haven, Deborah (Paul) Moelker of FL; sons, Ricky Lee (Patricia) Canning of Grand Haven, Michael (Connie Lynnes) Canning of Hesperia; 9 grandchildren, Stacy, Stephanie, Heather, Kirsten, Brandon, Shawn, David, Desiree, Megan; 19 great-grandchildren; 2 great-great-grandchildren. A service will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2015, 11:00 a.m. at the Clock Chapel - Grand Haven. Interment in Lakeshore Cemetery. Visitation will be held on Friday, 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. & Saturday, one hour prior to the service at Clock Funeral Home-Grand Haven. Memorials can be made to New Mission Systems International, 2701 Cleveland Avenue STE 200, Ft. Myers, FL 33901. Please visit www.clockfuneralhome.com to leave a memory or sign the online guestbook.