Mary Mona Mock

Mary M. Mock -- dedicated teacher, and devoted wife, mother and grandmother, passed away in Newberg, Oregon on September 13, 2024. Mary was born April 11, 1932 near Anderson, Indiana. Sheldon and Gertrude Helms adopted her as an infant, naming her Mary Mona. Growing up in the shadow of Anderson College (now University), Mary loved school. She played volleyball and basketball, taught swimming lessons as a teenager, and enthusiastically participated in summer camps. Mary graduated from Anderson College in 1954 with a degree in elementary education. She taught for one year in Traverse City, Michigan. In July of 1955 she married Richard Mock, whom she met at Anderson College. Dick was a quiet, kind, intelligent and equally devout young man from California. The couple moved to Southern California after the wedding, where Mary continued her teaching career and Dick began his career as an electronics engineer. In July 1956 their son Ron was born, followed in August 1958 by their daughter Linda. Mary encouraged her children's interest in books and learning. The family took camping trips regularly, venturing further from southern California as the kids grew. One trip to British Columbia included a return through western Oregon. Dick and Mary loved Oregon's cooler, greener, less urban environment, so they moved the family to Hillsboro in the summer of 1966, where Mary and Dick each continued their careers. In 1974 they moved to a house Dick built - their dream house in the woods, three miles up a dirt road on Wildcat Mountain northwest of Banks, Oregon. Mary retired from teaching a few years later, and was elected to the Banks School Board, where she served for over a decade. After Dick retired from Tektronix in 1988, they traveled even more widely, visiting children and grandchildren in South Dakota, Iowa, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Nigeria. On one trip they drove all the way to Nova Scotia. They also drove through much of central Europe for their 50th anniversary. Dick and Mary were always active in their local church, including Aloha Church of God from 1966 to the mid 1970's, and Banks United Methodist Church thereafter until Dick's death in 2017. After Dick’s passing, Mary moved to Friendsview Retirement Community, where she spent her final years enjoying her neighbors and doing her part to add to the fun. She managed the jigsaw puzzles, shared with everyone homemade fudge on "special occasions," and delighted in what she called "making trouble." To the end of her life, Mary maintained her deep faith in God, and her hope to be reunited with Dick. Mary is survived by her son and daughter, her daughter-in-law Melanie Mock, her son-in-law Aaron O’Neill, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Her grandson Micah O’Neill preceded her in death. Her memorial service will be on Saturday, October 19 at 2:00 p.m. at North Valley Friends Church in Newberg. Refreshments will be served after the service.

Mary Mona Mock

April 11, 1932 - September 13, 2024