Mary L. Utley, 80, of LaPorte, died March 16, 2014, at St. Anthony Hospice in Michigan City, IN.
She was born in New Buffalo, MI, on June 3, 1933, to Robert B. and Elsie (Eggert) Hoder.
A member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in LaPorte since 1957, Mrs. Utley was a former Sunday school teacher, choir and women’s board member, and a co-founder of the church’s considerable library, which she was privileged to use for research. She was also a member of the Episcopal Synod of America and the Prayer Book Society. In her younger years, she was a volunteer Pink Lady at LaPorte Hospital, a Friend of LaPorte Library, PTA member, LaPorte PTA legislation chairman, and a member of the New York Metropolitan Opera and Chicago Lyric Opera guilds. She was also a Republican precinct committeewoman and held numerous positions with that party, including delegate to four state conventions.
When the LaPorte Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1972, Mary quickly became a member and from then on served it in many capacities: publicist, board member, and finally, as program annotator for 30 years. After their 1981 marriage, she and her husband John “Jack” Utley became a working team. At the time she was a freelance writer, contributing over 200 stories to the South Bend Tribune from 1976-1984, covering such diverse personalities as Luciano Pavarotti, Ella Fitzgerald, music scholar Carl Haas and composer Gian Carlo Menotti. She covered music festivals from Seattle to Scotland (and getting there on the QE2), the Harlem Globetrotters, and opening day with the Chicago Cubs. In 1997, she published a compilation of her works entitled “Program Notes by Mary Utley — Making Music Together for 25 Years with the LaPorte Symphony Orchestra,” and in 2006 a sequel to it entitled “Program notes — the Encore Years.” Her program notes about George Frederick Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” are used annually with Michigan City’s Presbyterian Church’s production of it. In 2006, she published her life’s major work, a book entitled “The Bible and the World Together, an Historical Guide Book” (available on Amazon.com).
She was married in 1981 to Major John H. “Jack” Utley Jr. (USAR) (ret.), with whom she shared four children: Elizabeth (Donald) Simmons of Harrisonburg, VA, David Koster of Atlanta, GA, Anne (Edward) French of Fort Myers, FL, and John H. Utley III of Michigan City. She is also succeeded by two grandchildren, Jennifer (Casey) Kaleba of Hyattsville, MD, and Trevor McWhirter of San Francisco, CA; and two great-grandchildren, Elsie and Islay Kaleba of Hyattsville. Also surviving are a sister, Carole (Raymond) Bronicki of Niles, MI; brother, Carl (Donna) Hoder of Michigan City; sister-in-law, Margaret (Gary) Hays of Walkersville, MD; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husband, John, and sister, Margaret (Otto) Zack.
Mrs. Utley donated her body to Indiana University Medical Center. A memorial service will be announced in the future. Cutler Funeral Home and Cremation Center, LaPorte, is handling arrangements.
Memorial contributions may be made to the LaPorte County Symphony Orchestra, P.O. Box 563, LaPorte, IN 46352 or at www.lcso.net; or St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 1000 Michigan Ave., LaPorte, IN 46350.
Messages of condolence may be posted below on WNLP, as well as at www.cutlerfuneralhome.com.