Mary Catherine Waclawik
, known to most as Toots, 81, of Mesa, Arizona, was reunited with her beloved husband, Gary, on February 2, 2023.
Mary was born on July 12, 1941, to Wilfred and Augusta Green in Tracy, Minnesota. She is one of six children, her siblings are: Leah, Jim, Marjorie, Rose, and Don. After Mary graduated from Balaton High School in 1959, she met Gary in October while stranded on the side of the road with her sister, Marge. Like the gentleman he was, he helped the sisters fix the tire while simultaneously stealing Mary’s heart for the next 58 years. The couple wed on October 15, 1960, in Valley City, North Dakota. Mary and Gary went on to have four children: Debra, Mark, Susie, and David. The family resided in North Dakota until November of 1969 when they moved to Arizona. Mary held many jobs throughout her lifetime, her most notable one being the matriarchy of the Waclawik Family. Mary retired in 1995 and was able to focus on spreading her gracious love to those around her. In her free time, Mary loved travelling, sewing, baking, reading novels, “warshing” the dishes, watching Westerns with her husband Gary, camping, watching her soap opera: Days of Our Lives, and her day was never complete without a crime show or The Price is Right. What Mary enjoyed most, however, was spending quality time with her loved ones; family was the most near and dear thing to Mary’s heart. Mary was preceded by parents Wilfred and Augusta Green, as well as, her husband, Gary Waclawik. She is survived by her children: Debra, Mark, Susie, and David. As well as her six grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.
Services will be held at Bueler Mortuary in Chandler, Arizona on the 22
nd
of February at 11 in the morning with the burial proceeding at 2:30 in the afternoon.