Mary Houghton

IN LOVING MEMORY MARY L. HOUGHTON December 2, 2020 Mary Louise (Drought) Houghton was born on the Drought family farm in Amboy on January 3, 1950. She loved peaceful country living and telling stories of her childhood. One of her favorites was being able to walk from her family home to see her grandparents, along roads lined with maple trees. And bouncing around in the back of her Uncle Bud’s pickup truck, eating candy in between the hay bales. Mary believed in recording the stories of our past to share with those in our future. At the age of 13 she fell in love with Douglas Houghton. They celebrated 51 years of marriage this October. One of their most fulfilled dreams was exploring Alaska for a month on their 25th Wedding Anniversary. They put 4,000 miles on a rental car, slept in a tent on roadsides, and saw as much territory as they could. They were surprised when they struck up conversations with people and found that they were originally from back home in NY. Mary was hard worker, always modeling for her girls that you can have anything as long as you’re willing to work for it. At one point she worked four jobs and paid cash for a brand new car, this was a proud accomplishment for her. Over her working career, Mary held many positions but her most favored were owning Fahnestock’s Fabric Store in Pulaski and being a dental receptionist for Dr. Harry Penoyer in Central Square. She loved working with the public and building lifelong friendships with people. Mary was a go-getter, whenever there was work to be done, she would be there. She worked alongside Doug in the Lion’s Club, was the Parish Public Library President, and loved making the village streets colorful by planting flowers with Evelyn DeGraw. Her neighbors will always remember her saying, “Well, what walls are we tearing down next?” What Mary will be most remembered for is her loving and thoughtful soul. She spent countless hours baking cookies with her granddaughter Katie, encouraging her grandson Will to sing, and caring for her granddaughter Addi when she was little. She loved seeing photos of her grandson Derek. Her heart and soul went into many handmade gifts for her family and friends. Mary always made sure neighbors had warm winter clothes, the elderly had visitors, and her community was taken care of. Mary is survived by her husband, Douglas. Her daughters Krista (Bill) Alsworth, and Erin (Scot) Barger, and four beloved grandchildren. Her sisters, brother, nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, and her loving neighbors. Mary is preceded in death by her daughter Jamie. Graveside services will be held at 1:00, Wednesday, December 9th at Pleasant Lawn Cemetery in Parish. If you wish to honor Mary’s life, in lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Parish Public Library, Amboy Center United Methodist Church, or Parish United Methodist Church. To leave a special memory or condolence for Mary's family, please click the Condolences & Tributes button above.