Mary I. "Jean" Dircks

Mary "Jean" I. (Heimrich) Dircks
July 7, 1937 - July 29, 2025
Mary "Jean" I. (Heimrich) Dircks, 88, formerly of Milan, Ohio passed away peacefully on July 29, 2025 at Admiral's Pointe Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Huron.
Mary was born on July 7, 1937 in Tiffin, OH to the late Franklin Heimrich and Joyce (Lysinger) Campbell.
Upon graduation from Huron High School, Mary worked for Bell Telephone for a short time. She married her high school sweetheart, Lyn on March 9, 1957, he has stood by her side through thick and thin. While raising her children, Mary was a Girl Scout Leader. She worked in the reading lab in the Edison School District. Later in life, Mary attended BGSU Firelands and attained a degree as a Dietary Technician and then went on to earn a degree as a Registered Dietary Technician through a distance learning program at Penn State. Mary worked at a few care centers and restaurants throughout the area and retired from Parkvue Care Center in Sandusky.
She was a member of St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church in Norwalk. She enjoyed quilting, reading, and sports. Mary was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who loved spending time with her family. She focused on providing her children the best life possible including two foster daughters.
Mary dreamed of owning her own business and made that dream come true with the creation of Gingersnap Junction on the square in Milan, Ohio. What had started out as a quilt shop soon turned into a consignment shop, quilt shop, and tea room. Quilting bees were held upstairs where she made many friends and daily lunches were available downstairs. She once had Jackie Mayor as a guest speaker at an evening gathering. Mary quilted while she was a resident at Providence Care Center for the past 3 years.
Mary is survived by her husband of 68 years, Lyn R. Dircks; daughter, Laurie (Mark) S. Kropf of Sandusky; son, Walter (Dianne) L. Dircks of Black Mountain, N.C.; Eleanor (Dennis) Stout of Elyria; son-in-law, Roger Dukes; grandchildren, Shaun (Nicole) Keefer, Cassandra (Sumair) Khalid, Kayleigh (Gregg) Snyder, Karly (Cory) Dircks, Kelsey (Tim) Dircks; and 11 great-grandchildren; sister, Leticia (Bob) Craft; and brother, Charles Campbell.
In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her daughter, Amy Dukes in 2022; son-in-law, Mark Kropf in 2022; brothers, Ralph Heimrich, Joe Heimrich, and Mike Campbell; sisters, Rosalie Adams, Maxine Young, and Marta Dull; and her father and mother-in-law, Raymond and Ruth (Miller) Dircks.
A memorial service will be held at a later date. Groff Funeral Homes & Crematory in Milan will be assisting the family with arrangements.
Those wishing to contribute to Mary's memory may do so to St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church, 243 Benedict Ave. Norwalk, Ohio 44857.
Condolences may be shared online at www.grofffuneralhomes.com.