Mary L. Ludlow, 89, of LaPorte, Indiana, passed away Friday, July 21, 2017.
Mary was born April 26, 1928, in Tippah County, Ripley, Mississippi, to Howard Levi and Mary (Gillard) Smith.
On March 4, 1948, in Ripley, Mississippi, she married Lee E. Ludlow, who preceded her in death on Dec. 2, 2004.
Mary moved to LaPorte in 1953, coming from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, where her husband was serving in the Army during World War II in the 11th Airborne Division. She served in the LaPorte County government for many years in the Recorder’s and Surveyor’s offices and was elected LaPorte County Recorder, serving from 1981 to 1984. She was a member of First United Methodist Church, LaPorte, a member and past Worthy Matron of the LaPorte Chapter of Eastern Star 280, and Bartlett O.K. Houck, OES 229 in Bartlett, Tennessee.
Mary leaves behind three sons, Mark L. (Debra) Ludlow, Timothy P. (Sylvia Espinosa) Ludlow and Ripley (Shelley) Ludlow, all of LaPorte; four granddaughters, Casey (Mike) Lapczynski, Heather (Adam) Scheiderer, Kaelynn (Matt) Deckard and Amanda (Dee) McDonald; 11 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and her special friend and companion, Richard “Dick” Ulam and family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, six sisters and one brother.
Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, July 24, at Frank L. Keszei Funeral Home, Essling Chapel, LaPorte, where an Eastern Star service will be held at 6:45 p.m. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 25, at First United Methodist Church in LaPorte with Rev. Bob Vale officiating. Family and friends may call one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will follow in Patton Cemetery, LaPorte.
Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church, 1225 Michigan Ave., LaPorte, IN 46350; or St. Jude’s, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105.
Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP as well as at www.esslingfuneralhome.com.