Mary Mae Cavallaro

Mary M. Cavallaro, age 72, passed away February 28, 2017.

Mary was born Dec. 7th, 1944 in Bath, Arkansas. Later as an adult, she relocated to Chicago where she worked in a bomber plant soldering parts for military airplanes. The family eventually moved to Council Bluffs, where Joe first made the acquaintance of Mary’s parents, Scott & Jessie Brant, who were CB’ers, known as “Wooden Shoe’, and “Golden Slipper”. It was not uncommon to spend countless hours visiting on the CB with them and many others on their channel they called “Old Channel Four-Three”.

Mary’s Mom, Jessie, was visiting with Joe, (Papa Joe) one evening as Mary was on her way home from work and called for her Mom on the CB. Joe eventually invited himself into the conversation. That’s when Papa Joe & Pink Champagne’s courtship began. A couple years later they were married and lived at 2425 Ave. A in Co. Bluffs from 1981 to 2016, when they relocated to their present 3rd Ave. home.

Mary was known to the family as one with a generous heart and was willing to help when needed. When she was younger she often babysat her sister Shirley’s two children while Shirley and husband Forrest, (truck drivers), were on the road

Mary loved jewelry, and she also enjoyed embroidery, planting her outdoor flowers each spring around the gazebo and yard, wind chimes, camping and especially fishing, and OH YES…. John Wayne movies, over and over!

When Mary had something to say, she rarely held back. . She could express her dislike of things with a frown that would put frost on an ice cube, but then it was over and back to her pleasant self! But more often than not, we felt her great capacity to love when she wore that welcome smile, even through her many years of sickness.

Mary was baptized and accepted the Lord Jesus as her Personal Savior in 1982. She and Joe tremendously enjoyed living their lives together with Jesus as the head of their home. She will be so terribly missed, but our comforting belief is knowing she is now with our Lord Jesus with no physical limits, and one day we’ll be together again.

She was preceded in death by her father, Ivan Adkins and son, Lonnie Reno.

Mary is survived by her husband, Joe Cavallaro; children, Mark Cavallaro, Tammy Cooper (Dan), Joe Cavallaro III (Amy), Sally Reno, William Pierce, Charles Reno, John Reno; mother, Jessie Brant; brothers, Henry Adkins (Wendy), Chuck Adkins (Lori); sisters, Marie Adkins (Doug), Shirley Walker (Forrest); grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Memorial service is 1:00 p.m., on Saturday, at the Hoy-Kilnoski Funeral Home. A luncheon will be held immediately following the memorial service in the Hoy-Kilnoski Community Room. The family will direct memorials.