Mary Lou Earnhardt of Ft. Pierce, FL left the physical world peacefully with her family by her side on Sunday July 1st, 2007. She was 76 years old. Mary was born on March 18th, 1931 in Gulfport, MI. Mary’s family moved soon after her birth to Birmingham, AL where she was raised with her older brother and sister. After her father’s death when Mary was 12, she and her mother Zuma McDowell moved to West Palm Beach, FL.
Mary wed Dewey Roderick Earnhardt of West Palm Beach, raising 4 children and moving to Ft. Pierce in the late fifties. Also in the late fifties, Mary began her career with the St. Lucie County School System for 30 years as a school bus driver and driver instructor/safety coordinator. During that time, Mary was a member of Ft. Pierce Baptist Church where she was a Sunday school teacher for many yearsMary lived her life with the social graces of a true southern woman. She was a lady of great spirit, simple yet sophisticated, and with a sense of witty humor up to the very end. Mary’s great loves in her life were her family, birds, flowers, music, old black and white movies, and the mountains of North Carolina where she and Dewey retired part-time for many years.Mary will be re-joined in spirit with her sister, brother, mother, father, son Daniel Earnhardt, daughter Melanie Earnhardt Slusser, and grandson Brian Goldstein. Mary leaves to cherish her memory and abiding love her honorable husband of 60 years Dewey Earnhardt. Dewey was a businessman and auto parts store owner in Ft. Pierce for many years. Mary also leaves behind in spirit and love her adoring son John Earnhardt of Vero Beach, her loving daughter Ellen Haffield and husband Bobby Goldstein both of Ft. Pierce, her adopted son and cherished family friend glen Newland of Vero Beach, six grandsons - Brian and Ben Earnhardt of Ft. Pierce, Eric and Steven Slusser of Vero Beach, Jason Haffield of Pt. St. Lucie, Todd Goldstein, and seven great grandchildren.A private gathering of remembrance for family will be held at a later date. Friends may call Haisley Funeral Home in Ft. Pierce for information or they may sign the guestbook on the website at
www.haisleyfuneralhome.com
. In lieu of flowers, Mary and her family have asked that donations be made to Hospice of the Treasure Coast in recognition of their staff and caretakers that continued the dignity for Mary’s life.