Mary Dellinger

Mary M. Dellinger, 97, of Willshire, Ohio, died early Monday morning at the Laurels of Shane Hill in Rockford, Ohio.   She was born on February 1, 1921, in Decatur, Indiana, the daughter of Charles Franklin and Mary (Plummer) Steele.  On November 7, 1939, she married Fermin Davis Dellinger, and began her married life living on their farm in Willshire.   Mary was the former co-owner of Dellinger Brothers Plumbing and Well Drilling in Willshire, Ohio with her husband, Fermin; she and Fermin not only farmed, but kept very busy with the plumbing and heating business, which later included a hardware store in the Village of Willshire.  Mary lived in the area all her life and was an active member of the Decatur Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses and attended meetings regularly until her failing strength and health no longer allowed her to continue her attendance in person.  Mary had four children:  Richard Dale Dellinger, deceased, Rebecca Ann (Horst) Steinke of Decatur, Indiana, Thomas Merrill Dellinger, of Delaware, Ohio, and James Stephen Dellinger of Willshire, Ohio.  Mary and Fermin ultimately were the proud grandparents of 10 grandchildren with 9 still living, and 11 great-grandchildren living also.  Mary had 1 sister and 5 brothers, all who are deceased.

Mary’s daily activities included caring for her home and family, including cooking large meals, and having frequent guests for dinner, especially when her married children came home.  She especially loved music, having come from a musical family.  Then, too, her yard always was manicured, and she did most of the landscaping, and she actually herself, planted many shrubs and trees, flowering plants, and seasonal flowers and bulbs.  In later years in her home in the woods where she and Fermin lived together, she was responsible for surrounding the house with a variety of blooming flowers all season.  To her children, their Mom was always a phenomenon, to tell the truth about it.

Services will be held on Friday, November 30, 2018, at 2:30 p.m., at Ketcham-Ripley Funeral Home in Rockford, with Eugene Boone officiating. Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Private graveside services for the family will follow. Condolences may be expressed at ketchamripley.com.