Mary
Margaret (Lake) McKenna left her earthly home to be with her Eternal Father in
heaven, in the state of grace, on November 4, 2020. She passed peacefully at
home, in the presence of her husband James, and daughter Margaret. She staged a courageous, but brief, battle with
glioblastoma.
Mary
was born on February 24, 1959, in Mansfield, Ohio, to George and Marilyn
(Wagner) Lake. She grew up in Mansfield
with her sisters Joellen and Linda. Her
first job was at her father’s pharmacy, Hilltop Pharmacy. Mary graduate from Mansfield Senior High
School in 1977.
She
graduated from University of Toledo with a Bachelor of Business Administration
in 1982. She then went to work for Buckeye
Broadband (aka Buckeye Cablevision) in Toledo, Ohio. When she joined the
software training team, she discovered her passion for teaching. In 1996 she was accepted into the Masters of
Special Education program at the University of Toledo. Subsequently she obtained her Ohio Teaching
Certification and joined the Toledo Public School System as a substitute
teacher.
At
Buckeye, she met James McKenna. In 1994, Mary and James were married at Park
Avenue Baptist Church in Mansfield, Ohio.
Their daughter, Margaret, was born in Toledo in 1997. After living in Toledo for 20 Years, the family
moved to Meridian, Idaho. Both Mary and James were fortunate to get to know
many lifelong friends during their time in Toledo.
In
2001, Mary joined the Special Education Department at Centennial High School in
the West Ada School District. Special
education was her true calling. She
taught at Centennial until her retirement in 2017.
The
family enjoyed spending time at their vacation home in McCall. They also enjoyed traveling, visiting family
and friends, and taking the occasional cruise.
Mary was an avid reader and enjoyed spending time at the beach.
During
her time in Toledo, Mary was a member of Hampton Park Christian Church. She was
a longtime member of Parkview Christian Church, Meridian (formerly University
Christian Church) were she sang in the choir, served as a Deaconess and in the Children’s
Education Department. She was also a
member of The Council for Exceptional Children, Alpha Kappa Psi fraternity and
the Capital City Kiwanis Club of Boise.
Mary
is survived by her husband James, daughter Margaret, step children James D.
McKenna (Concord, NC), Jennifer L. McKenna (Columbus, Ohio), grandchildren
Ellie, Cassie and Danny and her dog Archie.
She was preceded in death by her parents George and Marilyn Lake, and
her dog Tyler.
The
family would like to say a special thank you to the staff at St. Luke's
Hospital but especially, the St Luke’s Cancer Institute, and the St Luke’s
Hospice. They made her final days very special and treated her with such love
and dignity.
In
lieu of flowers, the family suggest you consider donations to Hope House in
Marsing, Idaho,
http://ahome2come2.com/
or any charity
serving the needs of children
A
celebration of life will be held on, Saturday November 21, 2020 at 12 Noon, at
the Alden-Waggoner Funeral Chapel, Boise. A livestream of the service will be
available at www.aldenwaggoner.com/marymckenna due to Covid restrictions. For
those unavailable to attend please contact the family or Alden-Waggoner Funeral
Chapel at (208) 376-5400, for a way to share a memory or tribute of Mary.
