Mary Lou Wedebrook, 80

Mary Lou (nee Gee) Wedebrook, 80 of Portsmouth, died Sunday July 20, 2014 at Crystal Care Nursing Home in Portsmouth. She was born November 6, 1933 in Portsmouth, a daughter of the late John Lytton Gee and Cena Irene Counts Gee. She was also preceded in death by brothers; Macager "Cager" W. Gee of Portsmouth, Lotis Scott Gee of Sciotoville, Arthur L. Gee of St. Louis, Missouri and Russell E. Gee of Vermillion, sisters; Edna Irene Gee Fultz of Columbus, Vessa Lorena "Vessie" "Jackie" Gee Wenner of Largo, Florida, Loretta Gee of Portsmouth, Virginia Gee Hinze Keyser of Portsmouth and Floris Gee Stewart McNiel of Portsmouth. Survivors include her husband of 38 years, Karl Raymond Wedebrook, who she married October 31, 1975; her first husband Herman Babe Proudfoot of El Paso, Texas, with whom she remained close, 4 daughters; Mary Lou Proudfoot Kennedy and son-in-law Douglas Kennedy of Punta Gorda, Florida; Karen Sue Duffy of Portsmouth; Sandra Kay Proudfoot of Portsmouth; and, Patty Jean Tucker and son-in-law James Tucker of Kapolei, Hawaii; 7 grandchildren, 18 great grandchildren and numerous nephews and nieces, including Susie Gowdy of Portsmouth and namesake Virginia "Ginny Lou" Hinz Terry of Jackson. Mary Lou (nee Gee) attended Scudder Grade School and Portsmouth High School. She was a veteran of the United States Army, serving as Private First Class in the Women's Army Corps in the 50's. She did basic training in Fort Lee, Virginia, Class of One Hundred and Twenty-Eight, clerical training in Fort Knox, Kentucky and later served in various postings including Chicago, Illinois and Fort George G. Meade, Maryland. Her years of service remained a source of great pride throughout her life. Mary Lou was employed as a Case Worker for 16 years by the Ohio Department of Human Services, Scioto County Department of Job and Family Services, until her retirement in 1995. From 1996-1997 Mary Lou served as Commander of the Russell D. Williams Post 471 American Legion in Portsmouth. In fact she was their first female commander. While Commander, she proudly served as Marshall in the May 1977 Portsmouth Memorial Day Parade. As Marshall of the first unit in that parade, she was actually the first person in line in the parade. She was a member of Temple Baptist Church in Portsmouth, Ohio. Mary Lou relished winning at Scrabble and didn't suffer fools gladly. She liked jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles and cross-stitching. She was a voracious reader, particularly enjoying classics like Rebecca and Jane Eyre. She was especially fond of musicals; The Sound of Music and The Phantom of the Opera were her favorites. She also treasured collecting music boxes from around the world. Above all, she loved singing and harmonizing with her daughters and they with her, especially to Sing-Along-with-Mitch (Miller) songs, which they will dearly miss but forever fondly cherish. Memorial services will be 3:00 PM Wednesday, July 23, 2014 at the Roger W. Davis Funeral Home in West Portsmouth with Reverend John Gowdy officiating and military rites by the James Dickey Post 23 American Legion. A gathering of family and friends will be on Wednesday starting at 1:00 PM until the time of the service. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 225 North Michigan Ave, 17th Floor, Chicago, ILL. 60601, (1-800-272-3900) or alz.org. Condolences may be sent to www.rogerwdavisfuneralhome.com