Mary Louise (Mary Lou) Snowden, age 76, of Wilmington, NC, passed peacefully at home on Monday, December 31, 2012, with her daughters by her side.
She was born October 13, 1936, in Onarga, Illinois, to the late Dora May Wallace and Willi Edward Schulz.
She is survived by her brother, William Whitlow, of San Diego, CA., her two daughters, Jennifer Caiafa, of Port Jervis, NY and Melissa Snowden of Wilmington, NC,and her six grandchildren, Brent, Rachel and Sarah Caiafa, Eddie and Damian LiBassi, and Kensi Snowden.
Many people across the globe have had the pleasure of sharing a piece of Mary Lou’s well-intentioned life. She was passionate in her service to others, and dedicated most of her life to volunteer work and to a career in non-profit organizations. She served as a Camp Director for the YMCA at Camp Florida for several years, managed the Goodwill Foundation in Austin, TX, volunteered as a Chaplain for Unity Church of Austin, where she also held the position of Business Manager, and then served three years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Fiji Islands. Following her volunteer service, Mary Lou was appointed as an Administrative Officer in Slovakia, then as a Country Director in Kathmandu, Nepal. Upon her return to the states, she served as Acting Director and Chief Administrative Officer for the Europe, Mediterranean and Asia regions at the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, DC.
Mary Lou selected Wilmington, NC, as her retirement destination. She continued along her path of service to others, as a recruiter for the Peace Corps, a literacy volunteer, a volunteer tax consultant for the VIDA tax program, a volunteer for the Spanish program at Cape Fear Center for Inquiry, and served on the Obama campaign. She was a member of Mensa, an avid reader, and enjoyed leading water aerobics with the ladies in her community.
The family will be holding a private celebration of Mary Lou’s life.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Peace Corps, Office of Gifts and Grants Management, 1111 20th St. NW, Washington, DC 20526, or to any of the other organizations that Mary Lou volunteered for.
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Wilmington Funeral & Cremation, 1535 S. 41st Street, Wilmington, NC 28403 910.791.9099
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