Mrs. Mary Catherine Hauck

Mary Catherine Yerkes Frederick Hauck of Mt. Airy, MD, age 84, passed away in her sleep at her home on Monday, June 10, 2013, from lung cancer caused by radon exposure. Born in Philadelphia, PA, she graduated from Moore College of Art and became a textile designer. She then attended William and Mary College (now known as VCU) and became a certified occupational therapist. Mary was able to travel widely with her family to Japan, Guam, and Okinawa before eventually settling in Maryland. She was a supervisor at Crownsville State Hospital Center and at Springfield State Hospital Center, where she rose to the position of supervisor of the Geriatric Unit before retiring. With her devoted husband Andy, Mary delivered meals to the sick and elderly for Meals on Wheels. Mary was compassionate, warm, and welcoming, and a very positive person who will be greatly missed by many. She was lovingly called Mom by her daughters and her stepchildren, and by many of her children’s friends, too, because she made everyone feel special as she listened to people’s hearts. She was the best kind of friend. She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, taking great pride in her family and rejoicing in their accomplishments. She was a spiritual person who loved the beauty in nature and saw the good in everyone. She was very proud of her Scottish ancestry and was the keeper of family memories and stories. Mary was also a talented watercolor artist and pianist, who enjoyed reading, flower arranging, collecting recipes, cooking and baking for others, and bird watching. Prior to getting cancer a year ago, she was very active and healthy; in the Fall of 2011, at age 83, she walked a 5K with her family. Mary never smoked and was known for her healthy lifestyle, preferring whole grains and organic products while avoiding fried or processed foods long before that diet was popular. Mary was strong and dignified, rarely complaining during her yearlong fight with cancer. Upon realizing that her cancer was the result of radon exposure, she wanted everyone to be aware of the very real hidden danger that radon presents and that a simple, inexpensive test kit available from a hardware store can save lives. So Mary and her family began a radon awareness campaign called Mary’s Mission. Posters designed by local artist Robert O’Donnell that caution the deadly effects of radon gas have been placed in businesses in Howard, Carroll, and Frederick counties in Maryland. Mary is survived by her husband Andrew Lester Hauck; and daughters MaryLou Grimm (and son-in-law Thomas Mark Grimm) and Cathy Lee Frederick-Bittner (and son-in-law Thomas Anthony Frederick-Bittner) from her marriage to Louis Edward Frederick; grandchildren Nicole Jeanette Weersing and her husband Brian, Leandra Ashley Grimm, Brittany Lauren Grimm, Eliot Anton Frederick-Bittner, Evan Thomas Frederick-Bittner, and Edward Stanley Frederick-Bittner; great-granddaughters Mary and Lucy Weersing; and brother Frank (“Bus”) Yerkes. She is also survived by her stepchildren and their families: Brian and Kathleen Hauck, Randy and Patty Hauck and their children Holly and Becca, and Beau and Vicky Seidel. She was predeceased by her father Frank Yerkes, mother Mary Catherine Yerkes, sisters Isabella Koerner and Janet Harper, and brother Alex Yerkes. At Mary’s request, a traditional funeral service will not be held. Instead the family will be holding a Celebration of Life service and reception at Calvary Lutheran Church in Woodbine, MD, on July 28 at 1pm. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Mary Hauck Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 27, Dayton, MD, 21036. Donations from this fund will be used to establish and maintain the website www.marysmissionmd.org , produce additional awareness posters and other materials, and host radon awareness events.

Mrs. Mary Catherine Hauck

October 5, 1928 - June 10, 2013