Mary Stelow

1940 - 2019

Mary Stelow (actually Gladys Mary Stelow, but she did not like being called Gladys), passed away Friday the 1st of November, 2019 peacefully at her home in Santa Clarita, CA.
Born Gladys Mary Stoeckel on May 14th, 1940 in Bloomington, IL, Mary was raised in the town of Odell, IL, where she attended St. Pauls High School and graduated in 1958. After graduation she worked for State Farm in Bloomington, but soon sought greener pastures, so in 1963 she hitched a trailer to her blue Chevy II convertible and made her way to San Francisco, CA. That same year she met Richard Stelow, and they were married in 1964 and settled in Alameda, CA, where they had two children.
In 1976 they moved to Santa Clarita, CA, and in 1978 she started work at Six Flags Magic Mountain, where she worked in the back office and was a top salesperson for 29 years, making countless friends along the way.
Mary was an amazing mother and friend, an accomplished cook specializing in ingredient substitution "to make it healthier" and an amateur RV repair person. She loved Golden Retrievers, going on cruises with her family, drinking wine, and most of all, she loved all of her family and friends who loved her so much back.
She is survived by her two gorgeous and fabulous children, Erika White and Rick Stelow; her eleven wonderful siblings and their spouses, Paul Stoeckel and Julie Denman Stoeckel, Marcie Nicholson, Virginia Norris, Mark and Tricia Stoeckel, Mike and Debbie Stoeckel, Evie and Bob Broerman, Pat Stoeckel, Fr. Jerry Verdun, Keith and Pat Verdun, Shelia and Gary Eggenberger and Chuck and Lynn Verdun; her three amazing grandchildren, Emma Rosevear, Chelsea White and Matthew White; her two sweet great-grandchildren Declan Rosevear and Aspen Rosevear; as well as many nieces and nephews who she loved and adored and an incredibly large group of friends who were considered family, because that's what happens when you fill the world with as much love as she did.
Services will be held at OLPH in Santa Clarita on Wednesday Nov. 13th, 10:30am Rosary, 11am Mass. There will be an additional service performed by her brother, Father Jerry Verdun, at St. Pauls in Odell, IL in early 2020 where she will be interned next to her beloved parents.