Mary R. Friends

Mary R. Friends 1921-2008 Age 87, passed peacefully into eternal life at Bethany Manor, Horseheads, NY on December 18, 2008.She was born January 20, 1921 to the late Noel and Cecelia Card ofMillerton, PA. She was valedictorian of her 1938 graduating class from Millerton High School, and then graduated from Elmira Business Institute in 1941. She was the widow of Wilbur L. Friends who died July 13, 2006 a few weeks after their 64th anniversary.Mary was a loving daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She excelled at gardening, cooking, baking, sewing, crafts and caring for her family.She was a former member of West Jackson Baptist Church and more recently attended the Millerton United Methodist Church.Mary was preceded in death by a sister, Cecelia (William) Wakeman and her brother Rexford (Fannie) Card. Surviving are her siblings Hilda Allen and Josephine (Marion) Smith, Nils (Pat) Card, and her loving children LaVerne (Carolyn) of Orlando, FL., Edward (Mary Ann) of Horseheads, NY, Lynn (Colleen) of Millerton, PA. and Nancy (Ron) Young.Cherished grandchildren Teresa, David (Carol), Ron (Lisa), Kirk (Christy), Brian (Stephanie), Steve, Maggie, Christopher, Andrew and Aaron, Great Grandchildren Kevin (Katie), Shannon (Alex), Jennifer, Steven, Amanda, Shayna, Abigail, Gavin, Samantha, and Zachary, Great Great Great Granddaughter Giana and several nieces and nephews also survive her. A gathering and celebration of Mary's life will take place at the Olthof Funeral Home, Inc. 1050 Pennsylvania Avenue, Elmira, NY on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM with a service of celebration at 4:00 PM, Pastor Jennifer Wolf officiating. Memorial contributions can be made to Alzheimer's Disease Research 22512 Gateway Center Drive, Clarksburg, MD 20871 or by visitingwww.ahaf.org.A 'Candle of Remembrance' may be left for the family in obituaries atwww.olthof.com. .A Life Tribute video celebrating -- life can be viewed at:videos.lifetributes.com/ 44975.Leave a Loving Legacy, Olthof Funeral Home, Inc.Thank You:The family wishes to thank the staff member of Bethany Village who treated Mary and Wilbur with such compassion and loving care while they resided there.