Mary Lou Buck

1937 - 2024

Mary Lou Buck

February 25, 1937 - June 30, 2024

Charlotte, North Carolina - Charlotte lost an icon recently, when Mary Lou passed on Sunday, June 30, 2024. She was a trailblazer in introducing yoga to countless Charlotteans. For over 40 years, she was often stopped around town by former students wanting to express how blessed they felt by her teaching. She was a dedicated member of Myers Park Baptist Church for 60 years, served as deacon, leader of Sunday School and on various committees. Mary Lou was an early environmentalist, pushing family and others to recycle and consider vegetarianism as early as the 1980s. She loved nature; besides being a Girl Scout and a frequent camper and hiker, she arranged for family land to be conserved for ecological value and was a volunteer leader with the local Sierra Club chapter.

Mary Lou was born in Statesville, NC in February 1937, daughter of William Zadok Smith and Margaret Naomi Pursley. She grew up in and around Gastonia, and after graduating from Gastonia High School she earned a degree in Physical Education at Women's College, now UNC-Greensboro. Mary Lou worked at various summer camps up north and after college got a job with the YWCA in Baltimore, MD, where she met her husband George at a church ice cream social. They returned to Charlotte in 1963, where she worked for the Girl Scout Council and taught swimming at the YWCA before shifting to yoga teaching and opening her studio, Yoga for Life.

Mary Lou had a very active life up until the end, eager to be involved and to support local initiatives. She loved being in the community and often hosted gatherings at her home, both to welcome new neighbors or to gather with yoga friends.

Mary Lou is survived by her children, Brian Buck of Santa Cruz, CA, Eric Buck of Washington, DC and Robin Buck of Charlotte and by her siblings, Suzanne Long and Bill Smith, and their families.

A memorial service will be held for Mary Lou at 2:00 PM on Thursday, August 1, 2024, at Myers Park Baptist Church. The family will receive friends following the service in Heaton Hall. The service will be livestreamed at: https://myersparkbaptist.org/worship/livestream/ for those unable to attend in person.

In lieu of flowers, loved ones might plant a tree or consider donating to the Catawba Lands Conservancy, 2400 Park Road, Suite 1, Charlotte, NC 28203 (https://catawbalands.org/donate) or Myers Park Baptist Church, 1900 Queens Road, Charlotte, NC 28207 (https://myersparkbaptist.org/give/).

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.