Mary Josephine Birch

Mary Josephine Birch

Funeral services for Mary Josephine Birch, 76, were held Sunday, April 22, 2001, at the Church of Christ in Lusk, with Pastor Mark Lohr officiating. Interment will be at Lusk Cemetery in Lusk.

Mrs. Birch died Tuesday, April 17, 2001 at the Memorial Hospital of Converse County emergency room in Douglas, Wyoming.

Mary was born September 8, 1924, at Jireh, Wyoming, the daughter of Leonard and Pearl (Whitehill) Heine. She was reared and educated at Jireh and graduated from Manville High School in 1942. She attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie and then taught country school for one year at rural county schools in Platte County, Wyoming.

She married Clyde Birch in 1945 in Evanston, Wyoming. They lived from Omaha, Nebraska to Ogden, Utah until 1955 when they moved to the Heine Homestead, where she lived until moving into Lusk in August of 1982.

Mary worked at Niobrara Nursing Home as a certified nursing aide for 19 years. She was a member of Manville Homemakers Club, the Church of Christ, and was a 4-H leader for several years. Mary enjoyed canning, cooking, and needlework, sewing, quilting and showing her projects at the County and State Fairs. She willingly helped others any way she could. Her grandchildren were very special to her.

She is survived by two children, Florence Neese and husband, Dennis, of Phoenix, Ariz., and David Birch and wife Dianne of Keeline; one sister, Margaret Hunt of Casper; and two grandchildren, Angie Birch and Trevor Birch, both of Keeline.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, husband Clyde in December 1976, two daughters, Lois Hankins and infant Rhea Birch; three brothers, Richard Heine, George Heine, and Elbert Heine; and sister Genevieve Manning.

Memorials to a charity of the donor's choice would be appreciated by the family.

A dinner following the service was held at the Manville School in Manville for family and friends.

Converse Funeral Chapel of Douglas was in charge of the arrangements.

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