Mary Louise Yepez Estes
Born May 8, 1920 in Battle Creek, MichiganDeparted February 7, 2024 in Melbourne, Florida
Mary Estes passed away peacefully in her sleep, fulfilling her often-expressed wish to “go home” and be reunited with her husband, Mike. Mary and her friends would have celebrated her 104th birthday in just 91 days.
Born in Battle Creek, Michigan, Mary mastered shorthand as a teenager, and used that then-very valuable skill during her 33-year Civil Service career as a Medical Secretary. She married the love of her life, then-Sergeant Raleigh Quinton “Mike” Estes, in 1951, while both were stationed at the U.S. Army Hospital in Fukuoka, Japan. She notably served in the Secretarial Pool of then-President Harry Truman, and ultimately retired while serving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Mary was a petite, strong-willed, power-house. In retirement she loved to travel, do volunteer work, and play golf, and was the “star” in her exercise classes well into her 90’s. Mary is survived by friends, cousins and nieces/nephews.
A Memorial Service will be held for Mary at The Brennity at Melbourne, 7300 Watersong Lane, Melbourne, FL 32940, at 10:00 am, on Saturday, March 16, 2024. Burial will be, with her husband, at Arlington Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Suntree United Methodist Church, 7400 N. Wickham Road, Melbourne, FL 32940 or The Shriners Hospital for Children, 5459 Southern Comfort Boulevard, Tampa, FL 33634.
