Mary Vincent

Mary H. (Nolan) Vincent, wife of the late Jerome H. Vincent, mother of ten children, and long time resident of Noblesville, Indiana, died Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at the Catherine Kasper Home near Donaldson, Indiana.  She was 87.  The cause was complications from Parkinson's disease.
As the age of 19, Mary had moved from her family's farm in southern Illinois to St. Louis, working as a "Rosie the Riveter" machinist at Emerson Electric and McDonald Douglas before attending and graduating from Sanford-Brown Secretarial School.  Soon after she met her future husband, a Navy aviation metalsmith stationed there.  They married in St. Louis on September 16, 1946, with Mary converting to her husband's Catholic faith, a source of strength and solace throughout her life.  After two years in Illinois, the couple moved to Indiana in 1949.
In Noblesville, Mary assisted her husband with his appliance and water softener companies and the raising of their young family.  They had an active social life: hockey games together, attending theater plays, dining out, church activities, and bridge parties - all this while parenting what would grow to a family of 3 daughters and 7 sons.
Jerome's sudden death in 1966 left Mary as the single mother of ten, ranging in age from 4 months to 18 years.  In the years that followed, she prayed many a rosary, did countless loads of laundry and cooked seemingly endless meals.  Through it all, she persevered.
During these years, Jerome's sisters, Anne and Esther Vincent of Concord, NH, provided faithful support to Mary and family and continue today to be a loving presence for Mary's children.  Mary also returned home often, children in tow, to visit her father and siblings in Illinois for their annual reunion; she was delighted in her later years that her own children began a similar, if slightly more raucous, pattern of family gatherings.
Having graduated as valedictorian of Murrayville, Illinois High School's class of 1941, but unable to attend college, she took great pride in the bevy of nursing, business, liberal arts, law, divinity and PhD degrees awarded to her children.  She was equally proud of the ever-expanding number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Her own children all grown, Mary enjoyed living independently in her later life.  She was a regular at the Noblesville Senior Center, the Golden K Kiwanis, and the Altar Rosary Society at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church.  She was a fine quilter, a valued bridge partner, a crossword puzzle aficionado, a maker of delicious pies, and a Pacer fan.  A voracious reader, she was particularly fond of historical novels and nonfiction.  Many of these interests served her well in 20 years as a docent at Conner Prairie, many as a valued interpreter at the Conner Homestead.
During her final years, she resided and received excellent care at Catherine Kasper Home near Donalson, a skilled nursing ministry of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, a Catholic religious order.  It was a special blessing that a daughter, Anne Pilarski, is a nurse at the facility and was able to provide special care for her mother.  There Mary also met a special friend, Sr. Philomene Pawlik, and together they shared many meals, conversations, and prayers.  The family is especially thankful for the staff at Catherine Kasper Home and the Marshall County Center for Hospice Care for their compassion, hospitality and guidance at the end of Mary's life.
Born September 29, 1923 on the family farm near White Hall, Illinois, Mary was a daughter of the late Jasper and Iva Short Nolan.  In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Jerome Henry Vincent; sisters, Ruth Rochester, Goldie Rienbolt and Ethel Ash; and brothers John Nolan, Lawrence Nolan, Paul Nolan and Robert Nolan.
She is survived by one brother, Howard Nolan of Riverside,CA; children, Joseph Vincent and wife Claudette of Salem, OR; Richard Vincent and wife Susan of Noblesville, IN; David Lamarre-Vincent and wife Lynda of Concord, NH; Linda Vincent-Miller of Donaldson, IN; Mary Jeanne Vincent of Noblesville, IN; Michael Vincent and wife Linda of Cool Ridge, WV; Stephen Vincent and wife Linda of Iowa City, IA; Anne Pilarski and husband Dan of Culver, IN; Paul Vincent and wife Tania of Beaverton, OR; Mark Vincent and wife Becky of Bettendorf, IA; 27 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews and other family.  Mary was especially fond of niece Madge and husband Vivian Bentley of Bluffs, IL, whose faithful correspondence and visits were a special connection to Mary's Nolan family roots.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00AM on Saturday, October 9, 2010 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Noblesville with Rev. Tom Metzger presiding.  Burial will follow at Oaklawn Memorial Garden in Indianapolis.   A gathering of family and friends will be held from 4:00PM - 8:00PM on Friday, October 8, 2010 at Randall and Roberts Funeral Home, 1150 Logan St., in Noblesville. 
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Catherine Kasper Life Center, PO Box 1, Donaldson, IN, 46513 or Kiwanis International at www.kiwanis.org.