Mary Dick

Mary Dick, 53, of Robinson, IL, passed away at her home on October 12, 2025. Her story began on July 15, 1972, in Hammond, IN, where she was born to Norman & Linda (Harris) McMunn. Her early years moved between the quiet rhythms of farm life in Flat Rock and the city pace of northern Indiana. She went to school for a while in Palestine before moving on to Calumet High School in Gary, IN. Whether country or city, she always seemed to make herself at home and make everyone else feel that way, too.

Though at first she built a life in Gary, she moved back to Flat Rock, drawn home by the pull of family and familiar fields. It was here that she worked hard in roles that reflected her generous heart, including as a CNA, home health aide, and dietary cook in nursing homes. The latter should come as no surprise. After all, in the kitchen, Mary was in her element. She could turn a simple evening into a feast, and no one ever left her table hungry. There was always a big pan of macaroni and cheese, maybe lasagna or chicken and dumplings, all made with that kind of love you can taste. Cooking wasn’t just something she did; it was how she took care of her people.

Her house was always alive with noise and warmth: country music shaking the walls, grandkids laughing, dogs barking. She’d crank up Jelly Roll or Tim McGraw until the neighbors could sing along, and she’d hum along too, her leg bouncing as it always did. At one point, she had eight dogs under one roof, each spoiled rotten and loved beyond measure. When she lost her beloved pug, Max, it nearly broke her heart as he had come into her life after losing her husband, Bennie, in 2009. Bennie was the love of her life, and they were married right at midnight, ringing in both a new year and a new beginning. After he passed, a part of her never stopped missing him.

Life didn’t deal Mary an easy hand, but she met it with grit, humor, and a spark that refused to go out. Even on hard days, she could find a reason to laugh (and usually make everyone else laugh, too.) She had a way of turning chaos into comedy, like the times she’d yell “ROGER JOE!” and launch whatever utensil happened to be in reach, only to dissolve into laughter moments later. Her humor was quick, ornery, and perfectly timed. Once, when her ex-husband David gave her a bird, she couldn’t resist teaching it to repeat a few...colorful...phrases just to get under his skin. That was Mary: fiery, funny, and full of life.

But what made her life the most full was her grandbabies. It didn’t matter what they were doing, as long as they were together, be that curled up in her lap, out on a scooter ride, or watching the Heath Harvest Festival Parade. She lived for those moments, and her family will never forget how much she lived for them. But Mary cared about everyone she met. She had a heart too big for her own good, one that could stretch to hold her whole family and then some.

She is survived by her children, Dawn Ann Gordon and Roger Dominiak & his girlfriend Brandi; by her grandkids, Jessie, Adalee, Gracelynn, Abel, and Zyler; by her siblings & their spouses, Robert “Bobby” & Donna, James, and Wendell & Bridget; by several nieces and nephews; as well as her special aunt Twilla & her husband Jim. She was preceded in death by her parents, Norman and Linda McMunn; her husband, Bennie Dick; and her siblings, Jackie, Cindy, Rita, Normie, Karen, and Howard.

A time of visitation will be held from 12:00-2:00 p.m. on Monday, October 27th, at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Flat Rock. A graveside service will immediately follow at the Jones Cemetery, with Bro. Cortez Merrell officiating. Memorial contributions may be made to her memorial fund, with checks made payable to “Goodwine Funeral Homes.” Donations may also be made online at www.goodwinefuneralhomes.com/payments.