Mary Ann Girdner
Mary Ann Girdner, 94, passed away at her residence in Seneca, SC on Sunday, January 21. She had a full life, devoted to her family and the Lord.
She was preceded in death by her brothers Milton, Charles and John and sister Doris, her eldest son, Michael, in 1982 and her husband of 63 years, Jim, in 2014.
She was born to Joe and Ida Funk and raised in Lodi, CA. She went to nursing school in San Franciso and became a registered nurse when they used glass bottles for IV’s and had to sharpen their own needles.
She married on her birthday in 1951. When her first child arrived in 1954, she traded in her nursing cap for an apron and ran her household efficiently while Jim was making a living to support his growing family. She kept a clean safe home, read bedtime stories to her children, and took the family to church on Sundays.
They had three children in Lodi, then packed up and moved to Akron Ohio where they had four more children. They moved to Macon, GA in 1968 then Stone Mountain, GA in 1971 remaining there until most of the children were out on their own. Then they moved to Moorhead, MN, then Archdale, NC finally settling at Chickasaw Point in Westminster, SC in 1992 where she made a great many friends and enjoyed “lake life”.
Her remaining children are Cindy (Stuart) Morris of Stallings, NC, Clare (Jon) Marcum of Woodstock, GA, James Girdner of Westminster, SC, Molly (John) Whatley of Asheville, NC, Carolyn (Ken) Buckley of Suwanee, GA and Joseph (Cindy) Girdner of Fargo, ND. She has eight grandchildren, five great grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.
She is also survived by siblings Lois, Jim (Sandi), George (Diane), Helen, Dan (Karen) and Ted (Ann).
Mary was compassionate to all, loyal and protective of her family and will be greatly missed by many. All her good deeds on this earth will see her well in Heaven.
Arrangements by Sandifer Funeral Home, Seneca SC https://www.sandiferfuneralhome.com/
A Funeral Mass will be held at St Paul the Apostle, Seneca SC; at 1:00 pm, Friday, February 2, 2024. The family will be holding a reception following the Funeral Mass at the Martin House, 512 East Main Street, Westminster, SC 29693. The family will receive friends and family, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Thursday, February 1, 2024, at Sandifer Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Hospice of the Foothills, Seneca SC https://prismahealth.org/locations/ambulatory-labs-other/hospice-of-the-foothills, St Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Seneca SC https://www.saintpaulseneca.org/, or to Golden Corner Food Pantry https://goldencornerpantry.org/