Mary’s Story

Mary Lou Williams Thomas was born in Portland where she attended Beaumont Grade School, Grant High School and earned a BA in general literature at Reed College. She and her husband Lloyd had three children and lived in Salem for many years, where Mary Lou taught in the Talented and Gifted Program in the Salem Public Schools. 

Mary Lou’s lifelong passion was for the pursuit of knowledge—nature, science, art, oceans, and sea life—which she loved to share with others. She was a member of the Mazamas mountain climbing club and she summited every peak in the Cascade Range. A gifted artist and skilled in calligraphy and in working with gold leaf, Mary Lou was a member of the Portland Society for Calligraphy and the Gold Bugs group. 

Excerpts from Reed magazine: September 2015