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Mary Black
Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Black, 79, of Prairie, died at home on Aug. 3, 2008.
Funeral services were held Thursday, Aug. 7, at Summers Funeral Homes in Boise. Burial followed at Terrace Lawn Memorial Gardens in Boise.
Mary was born Aug. 11, 1923, in Decatur, Ark. She was the first of nine children born to Noah Benton (Sr.) and June Helen Reed.
Mary married Burl Gordon Black, Sr. on April 5, 1941, and to their union had 12 children.
Together they moved to Orchard, Idaho, in 1948, where Mary worked as the assistant postmaster at Orchard.
She loved planting gardens, fishing, sewing and quiltmaking, along with raising her children and caring for many others, her family said.
In 1971, the family moved to Boise, where Mary was employed at Treasure Valley Manor from 1976 to 1980.
Having only completed the sixth grade as a child, Mary decided to complete her GED, attend BSU and went on to receive her CNA Certification.
Mary later lived in Prairie, Mountain Home and Wilder before moving back to Prairie in 2002, the place she wanted to spend her remaining years.
"Mary believed that hands should never be idle and her deep love for her family was shown through her labor of love in making handmade quilts and afghans for her children and grandchildren," her family said.
She is survived by: four sons, Billie Joe/Johnny (Phyllis) of Georgia, Gordon (Diana) of Orchard, Billie (Diana) of Boise and Harry (Mary Kay) of Boise; seven daughters, Mary (Nathan) Cook of Prairie, Alice Reyes of Wilder, Wanda Mae (Chris Wall) of Port Orchard, Wash., Patricia Young of Aloha, Ore., Lillie (Rick) Summerfield of Mt. Vernon, Wash., Peggy Eccard of Boise and Norma Black of Boise; 39 grandchildren; 66 great-grandchildren, and 6 great-great-grandchildren.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband, one brother and two sisters, one son, three grandsons and one granddaughter.