Mary Lou (Ford) Henry
107 Years Ago Oct. 29, 1913
• The businessmen of Fort Bragg purchased the string of electric lights which brilliantly illuminated the city during Fair Week. Immediately following the close of the fair, subscriptions of $116 was taken up for that purpose. The strings will be left up in readiness for lighting within a minutes notice. When the purchase was made, it was only calculated that they should be lit on special occasions such as holidays, celebrations, etc. Since that time, however, considerable talk has been circulated to the effect that they should be turned on every Saturday nite.
• Clyde P. Ware, of this city, is now in a hospital in Oakland with the operating knife hanging over him. Clyde left last Wednesday morning on a combined business and pleasure trip to San Francisco. The night previous to his departure, he was troubled with a pain in his right side. In the morning, it still troubled him but, being anxious to leave, he made himself believe that it was a trifling affair which would wear off in an hour or so. Not feeling any better on arriving in the city, he consulted a doctor who gave him medicine and instructed him to be very quiet. The next morning, he started to attend to business and in the afternoon felt another attack and was taken to the hospital. He is now on a liquid diet and it is thought that an operation will now be necessary.
• Mrs. Elmer Raudia underwent a capital operation in the local hospital the latter part of last week. This morning it was given out that she is rapidly recovering and will shortly be able to return to her home.
• A baby boy was born to the wife of Angelo Maffini in Fort Bragg last week. Dr. Gregory attended.
77 Years Ago Oct. 27, 1943
• One of the major tasks recently undertaken by Sequoia Post of the American Legion is the compilation of a public record of the men who entered the armed forces from the Mendocino Coast. This record of names will be mounted on a huge display panel arrangement and be placed directly to the right of the entrance of the Veterans Building as one enters. Contractor Fred Nelson has constructed the outdoor display case or Honor Roll. The committee in charge of this work consists of Wharton S. Taylor, Alfred D. Swanson and Allen C. Ryan. Since Mr. Ryan decided to enter the armed service himself, we will consider Mr. Taylor and Mr. Swanson in charge of the roll.
• Death of John J. Summers, of San Diego, on October 12, 1943, has been reported to Secretary Roy A. Woodward of the local Fraternal Order of Eagles by the decedent’s relatives. Mr. Summers was born in Dudley, England, and came to the United States 60 years ago and joined the Fort Bragg Aerie 830 when the organization was in its in
fancy here in 1905.
55 Years Ago Nov. 4, 1965
• James Line, a British Naval surgeon, first proved in 1747 that the addition of fresh limes and other citrus fruits to the diets of seamen would prevent scurvy.
• Annibale “Pete” Bartalini, a resident of Fort Bragg for the past 45 years, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 17, in a Ukiah hospital at the age of 78. Death followed a lengthy illness. Mr. Bartalini had been a retired planer for Union Lumber Co. where he was employed for 35 years. A native of Italy, he was born in Fillettole Pisa on Jan. 6, 1887, and came to the U.S. in 1904. He went to San Francisco and just prior to the 1906 earthquake, he moved to Eureka where he remained for nine years. It was in Eureka, in 1920, that he was married. He and his wife, Jennie, who survives him at the family home, came to Fort Bragg after their marriage and had made their home here since that time.
• At Coast Theatre, Fort Bragg; “Yellow Rolls Royce” starring Ingrid Bergman, George C. Scott, Omar Sharif and Shirley MacLaine. “Cat Ballou” starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin.
• On The Go with Gerry Grader: In person … it was THE Gypsy Rose Lee here last week to visit the set of the “Russians” and if you want to get all the details just ask Bob Hazard who helped her aboard the submarine or Hal Ogle who was caught sans camera. While here, she also taped one of her beep-beep TV shows, causing more than the G string to be pulled; she’s under contract to one network and Jonathan Winters to another.
40 Years Ago Nov. 5, 1980
• At Coast Cinema: “Smokey and the Bandit”” starring Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed, Dom DeLuise and Sally Field.
• The Holy Rosary was recited Friday evening for William Mendosa, 84, of Mendocino who died Thursday morning after an illness. He was a lifelong resident of Mendocino and the retired manager at Mendosa’s General Store in Mendocino. He retired in 1963, but served as a consultant to the business afterward.
• Kelley and Dora Stephens were recently surprised with a 50th wedding anniversary party at the home of their daughter, Darlene Bartels. Kelley and Dora are longtime residents of Fort Bragg, where Kelley worked for Union Lumber Company prior to retiring.
• The paintings and drawings of local artist Nina Whelan will be displayed in an art show at the Guild Store at the intersection of Highway 1 and Highway 20. Whelan is the artist who donated her time and talent to the city by painting the mural on the corner of Redwood Avenue and Franklin Street. Her show will consist of landscapes, portraits and town scenes she has drawn or painted in her 20 years here as an artist and teacher.
Mary Lou (Ford) Henry passed away peacefully in her sleep at AHMC on Sep. 30, 2020, after a short illness. The third of six children born to Elvin and Leota (Wonacott) Ford, she was born August 14, 1930 in Covelo, CA.
Mary Lou married I.D. (Hank) Henry on Dec 18, 1965. They built their own home in Mendocino soon after, where she lived up until her passing. Always ready for an adventure she loved traveling up until her health prevented long trips. She was, however, always ready for a trip to one of the nearby casinos. A cook at Little River Inn in her younger years, she always said she could never cook in small batches. Many people up and down the coast were gifted with her wonderful, homemade candy around the holidays, or just to say thank you.
Mary Lou is survived by her two sons from a previous marriage, Edward (Vicky) Silva, Jr., and Randall Silva, and her stepson Mike (Sandi) Henry; her nine grandchildren Jeremy (Jennifer) Silva, Lisa (Ricardo) Manzano, David (Janalle) Silva, Heath Silva, Brian Silva, Dannielle (Eric) Darst-Hill, Jackie Henry, Jodi (John) Allen, and Nathaniel (Jennifer) Henry; and her thirteen great-grandchildren Jeremy Silva, Jr., James Silva, Kadence Silva, Magdalena Manzano, Ricardo Josue Manzano, Gage Morris, Sydney Silva, Zooey Silva, Skyla Silva, Riley Silva, Alexis Chadburn, Brianna Henry, Nolan Henry, and Jaxon Henry. Mary Lou is also survived by her siblings Phyllis Dockins, Richard Ford, and Sue Fullbright. She was preceded in death by her husband, Hank, her son Anthony Silva, and her two sisters Doris Knox and Vivian Knox.