Mary Elizabeth Burns-Haley

     Mary Elizabeth (Landon) Burns-Haley, a treasured mother and grandmother known for her green thumb, prolific volunteerism, quick hugs and sharp mind, died peacefully July 20 at age 105. She lived a life of service, whether it was giving rides to her sons’ friends, helping expectant mothers giving birth, serving on various committees in her beloved Renton to help juveniles, seniors or manufactured home owners or making fellow seniors smile and remember better days. 

     Born Mary Elizabeth Landon in Pennsylvania on April 14, 1919, she was the oldest of three children to Clifford Victor and Mary Gladys Landon. The family moved to Florida, California and, finally, Washington after her father was diagnosed with a black lung and given months to live. He survived to celebrate his 100th birthday surrounded by three generations of family in the Everett house that he and his wife owned for more than six decades. After graduating from Everett High School in 1937, Mary trained to become a nurse, working first at Providence Hospital in Everett and then at Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle. She married her first husband, Clarence Burns, in August 1943 and had two sons. The family settled in the Renton Hills neighborhood in a house built in 1951 by Clarence’s brother-in-law. Mary volunteered with her sons’ activities, serving a stint on the PTA Council and driving her boys and their friends to sports practices. Her sons were a source of pride and enjoyment, even when the youngest collected various creatures from his walks home, tied her apron to the stove while she worked at the kitchen sink and slipped a snake or frog in her pocket. 

     After her divorce in 1967, Mary returned to nursing. She worked in labor and delivery until she retired at age 65 to spend more time with her young granddaughters and find new mischief to get into. She watched her granddaughters during the week, taking them to swim lessons, plays at the Seattle Children’s Theatre and park visits in her Dodge Colt, which she affectionately called Betty. They snuck food to Mary’s two dogs, hung laundry outside in the summer and played many rounds of Spite and Malice while eating Totino’s pizza and laughing at the kitchen table. Mary also returned to her volunteer roots. She worked at the Carco Theater and with the Valley Community Players, which led to acting roles in a few productions. For three decades, she was a fixture at the Renton Senior Center, taking classes and working as a receptionist, as well as on the Renton Senior Advisory Committee. Her other great passion was volunteering for the local chapter of the AARP. She served as secretary of the Board of Directors, wrote the group’s newsletters and produced extensive yearly scrapbooks of the group’s activities. Twice, she was presented with the President’s Volunteer Service Award for her efforts. 

     Mary married her second husband, Bob Haley, in Hawaii on Feb. 14, 1998. They lived life to the fullest before he died six months later. She sold her home in 1999 and moved to the Leisurely Estates mobile home park in the Renton Highlands, where she once again couldn’t help but get involved in new activities. She worked on legislation to improve the rights of manufactured mobile home owners. She sang with the Leisurely Estates Chorale, a group of residents who traveled to assisted care facilities in the area to perform old-time songs and skits. She was best known for her dramatic performance of “T’was the Night Before Christmas,” which she recited from memory into her 90s during the group’s Christmas program. It always brought the house down.  

     Mary finally slowed down when she moved into an assisted care facility in September 2016. She made sure to get an east-facing room with a balcony so she could continue to keep seasonal flowers. She was never one for puzzles but she enjoyed giving her great granddaughter rides on her walker during her visits, outings with her fellow residents and finishing up her ongoing projects.  

     Mary made friends quickly, wherever she worked, lived or volunteered. She often ran into people she knew when out and about in the Renton area. She always looked forward to her regular gatherings with her “Birthday Club” on Renton Hill and chorale performances with her Leisurely Estates community. She was an avid reader, worked on the daily New York Times crossword to keep her mind sharp, watched shows on Masterpiece Theater, listened to Seattle Mariners’ games on her radio and traveled, keeping journals and scrapbooks of her escapades. She was a long-time member of several groups, including the Renton chapter of AARP and the Order of the Eastern Star. Mary loved animals and doted on her many four-legged companions over the decades. 

     The family would like to thank the staff at the Chateau At Valley Center, Vineyard Park of Puyallup and Puget Sound Hospice for their love and care over the last several years of Mary’s life. She is preceded in death by both her husbands, her parents and her beloved sister, Frances Black. She is survived by her brother Tom Landon, two sons Marc (Karen) and Tim, three nieces, one nephew, her granddaughters Stacey Mulick (Chris) and Kelly Higgins (Andy) and her great grandchildren Andrew, William, Samuel, Michael and Anna. 

     She taught us all much, filled our time together with laughter and gave us lasting memories. We will always cherish the many, many, many years we had with her.