Mary Sears Truslow

1955 - 2025

Mary Sears Truslow

November 2, 1955 - May 11, 2025

Mary Sears Truslow left town on Mother's Day morning, May 11, 2025, after a three-week stay at Beacon Place. She battled bravely for nearly 4 years with terminal cancer, facing her foe throughout with strength, courage, and dignity. She became a grandmother on November 6, 2021, immediately adopting Ciara into her life. Then, on July 28, 2024, she welcomed Esmé, who was a light to her life for the last months. And once more, she received news in April that she would become grandmother to yet another little girl, due in September this year.

Mary was the fourth of five children from parents Percy H. Sears Sr.(1921-1997) and Gladys Sartin Sears (1928-2013). Mary is survived by her husband, William W. Truslow, M.D., along with son Evan and his wife Priscilla Morrison and their two daughters. She is also survived by her sister Marcia Regan, brother John Sears, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws whom she kept in frequent contact with through the years, especially enjoying family reunions and annual holiday gatherings. In addition, she is survived by two faithful companion cats, Tiger Lily and Pepper. She is preceded in death by her brother H. Christopher Sears (1950-2000), brother Percy H. Sears Jr. (1951-2022), as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins and kitties, all of whom she loved deeply.

Mary was born on November 2, 1955, growing up in the Glenwood neighborhood of Greensboro. She was a natural talent at aquatics, winning numerous awards, setting city records swimming for the Hillsdale Dorados, the neighborhood pool. After attending Peck Elementary and Jackson Junior High, she graduated from Dudley Senior High School in 1974, after petitioning the County Commissioners to attend Dudley, having attended school there during the first year of forced busing. She then attended and graduated from UNC-G in 1978 with a degree in Physical Education. She worked at the Quaker Village Pizza Hut and was fondly reminded when 70's songs would play of times when she worked late into the night, dancing and cleaning up the place. She worked as a florist at Plant City, where she cultivated a deep foundational knowledge and developed a lifelong love for flowers and flower arrangement. In the early 80s, she worked at Omni America, and made lasting friendships with Shannon, Drew, Cindy and others. She also worked at Carolina Cipher, a software company. She worked at the Surgical Center of Greensboro in billing and coding, and later worked with the Women's Clinic with their computer system. In 1990, she began working at Cone Hospital as Supervisor of Professional Billing for the 43 doctors and 60 residents in the Internal Medicine, Family Practice, and Pediatric Departments. In 1998, she became the office manager for her husband's medical Practice of Rheumatology until he retired in 2018.

She was civic-minded and actively participated in numerous organizations. She became Secretary (1990) of the Medical Group Managers Association (MGMA), then serving as President in 1994. She was active in the Guilford Medical & Dental Managers (GMDM), serving as Secretary, President-elect and President from 2006-2008. She was a member of the Greater Greensboro Society of Medicine Alliance and served as President of the Alliance Book Club from 1998-2021, making lasting friendships throughout the years. A nod to her green thumb, a trait she inherited from her father, Mary was a member of the Guilford Horticultural Society, where she worked on the yearly symposium committee for 20 years. She spent countless hours working in gardens, whether they were hers, her sons', or her friends. Her beauty lives on in nature perpetually, as blooms and blossoms will continue to remind us of her in years to come.

Mary had a strong calling to aid those who were underdogs and helping those in need. In 2019, in association with the Alliance, she became a strong force in supplying food and funds to the Spartan Open Pantry at UNC-G, which supplies food to underprivileged college students in need of supplemental resources. One of her last projects through the Alliance was a fundraiser for Mustard Seed Community Health, a four-month effort that culminated with organizing a food truck rally, held at Revolution Mill in the summer of 2021, called Sowing Seeds, successfully raising $50,000 for their non-profit.

Mary was much more than her civic duty. Mary was a good person, a truly good human, who was kind, fair, humble, and hard-working. She never complained, rather choosing to spend her time getting the job done, whatever that may have been. Later, during her battle with cancer, she never once complained, and made it hard for those not in her inner circle to even detect her illness. She was beautiful, not just a gorgeous woman but as a spirit from the collective soul. She understood nature, and was a plant and cat whisperer. She gave her all for her family, especially her husband and her son, both of whom she loved deeply. To exemplify her courage and strength, she spent her final years leaving a legacy of flora in their yards, compiling gifts for the granddaughters' future birthdays, and leaving her house in proper order. She was a great mom, and gave her all to Evan, even when she didn't have it at times to give. She was a great wife, who took good care of Will and loved him deeply and unconditionally. Mary was selfless. If you ever attended an event she hosted, she spent its entirety making sure everything was in order and that everyone was having a wonderful time, but also always took the time to make each attendee feel special and welcome, and even took time and care to use all of the sentimental decor, china, and cutlery our families have passed down through generations. She just had a certain charisma about her, and with those she came to know, she had a knack at becoming fast friends in no time.

She was able to travel to Peru & Galapagos (2009), New Zealand (2011), France (2012), Ireland (2001), China (2015), Cuba (2016), Norway (2017), Poland (2019), Scotland to hike the 95 mile West Highland Way (2018), Israel, Jordan and Egypt (2023) along with numerous other trips, domestic jaunts, and annual ski trips to Snowmass to ski with rheumatology friends.

A close friend, KB McMichael, described Mary in a poem as follows:

"Mary loved her trees and flowers

She'd stay outside working for hours

She was the hardest working person I know

She expected you to work hard too

Mary spoke her mind and didn't hold back

But it was never to attack

It was for the betterment of all concerned

Probably from the things she had learned

Mary took charge and saw things through

But she'd ask your help if she needed to

I didn't worry when Mary was around

I knew she'd handle whatever was found."

We're forever grateful for your bravery, that afforded us the extra years we got to have with you, the extra miles we got to travel with you, the extra meals we got to share with you, and the extra hugs and kisses and love you gave us. We're so grateful we got to dance with you at our weddings, and celebrate 30 special years with Will. Your body returns to the Earth, but your spirit will live on forever in all of us. We'll miss you, Mary.

There will be a memorial service at Westminster Presbyterian Church at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, Mary specifically requested that you instead consider making a monetary donation to Mustard Seed Community Health in her memory. www.mustardseedhealth.org 238 S. English St. Greensboro, NC 27401.