Mary Louise Mercier Obituary (1928

Mary Louise Mercier, 94 of Carlock passed away Saturday August 6, 2022, at 3:17 AM at Martin Health Center in Bloomington. There will be a funeral at 11 AM Wednesday August 10, 2022, at First Christian Church in Bloomington. Reverend Hank Anderson will officiate. There will be a visitation one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in Park Hill Cemetery in Bloomington. Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home in Bloomington is handling arrangements. Mary Louise was born March 3, 1928, in Kankakee, IL to John C. and Frances Latham Gooding. She married E. Burton Mercier April 9, 1949, in Kempton, IL. He preceded her in death January 17, 1994. She was also preceded in death by one son David and two brothers Floyd and Todd Gooding. Surviving are three children, Karen (Rich) Crusius of Bloomington, Mary Jo (Sandy) Adams of Carlock, Tom (Sandy) Mercier of Carlock, her daughter in law Gladys Mercier of Kappa, seven grandchildren, Ryan Crusius, T.J. Crusius (Stacy Walker), Jeff (Beth) Mercier, Melissa (Ryan) Ash, Michelle Mercier, Allisson Mercier, Meredith (Pedro) Diaz and eight great-grandchildren. Mary Louise attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington where she joined the Sigma Kappa Sorority. She was a longtime member of First Christian Church where she was a past Deacon and Elder and sang in the choir. During the 1970's she worked at Forget Me Not Flowers as a floral designer. She also volunteered her time at Brokaw Hospital in the gift shop. She loved doing Genealogy studies and found out she was a direct descendant of the Mayflower immigrants. Mary Lou enjoyed crafts like jewelry making, flower arranging, painting and was an avid gardener. She loved watching the birds at her rural property, where she had received grants to restore and re-create a prairie and wetland, and plant over 500 trees. She loved going out in her "Gator" to check on how the habitat was progressing. Memorial Contributions may be made to the First Christian Church or to the Illinois Audubon Society. https://illinoisaudubon.org, or plant a native tree in her memory.