Mary Louise (Oakes) Craft

Mary Louise Craft, 105, of West Lafayette, passed away on Sunday, April 26, 2020 at her residence, exactly one week before her 106th birthday.

Mary was born on May 3, 1914 in Buckingham, IL, to Frank A. and Nellie (Reed) Oakes. She was the third of six children.  She graduated from Kingsbury High School in 1930 and was a lifelong resident of La Porte, IN.

In Valparaiso, IN in 1933, she married Donald R. Craft, a Kingsbury classmate, who preceded her in death on December 28, 1994.

She was a member of the La Porte First United Methodist Church, a 75+ year member of the La Porte Order of  Eastern Star, the La Porte Order of White Shrine where she was a Past Grand Worthy Organist.  She was a former owner, with her husband, of General Mfg. & Sales Corp. of La Porte and Fountain Foundry Corporation, Veedersburg, IN.

Mary was a talented piano player and accompanied many sing-alongs around the piano with family and friends.  She was an avid sports fan and enjoyed many fishing trips to the family cabin in Canada.

Surviving Mary are her children, Donald E. (Ingrid) Craft of Veedersburg, Karel Haag of Veedersburg, and George R. (Bitsy) Craft of Attica; 7 grandchildren, Beth Searer of Sevierville, TN, Jennifer (Larry) Wichmann of Lafayette, Gretchen (Kevin) Helms of Noblesville, Rachael (John) Schatko of Noblesville, Thomas (Haley) Craft of Veedersburg, Amy (James) Munroe of Crawfordsville, and Andrew (Sally) Craft of Seattle, WA; nine great-grandchildren; four great, great-grandchildren; two sister-in-laws; one niece; and several nephews.

A private family graveside service will be held at Kingsbury Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to the Shriner Hospital for Children, 2900 N. Rocky Point Dr., Tampa, FL 33607; Riley Hospital for Children, 705 Riley Hospital Dr., Indianapolis, IN 46202; or La Porte First United Methodist Church, 1225 Michigan Ave., La Porte, IN 46350.

Condolences may be shared with the family on www.cutlercares.com.