Mary Frances Barlow Humphress passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at the age of 94. Mary was born in New Castle, Indiana on June 22, 1928, the daughter of Peter Lewis and Leona (Abbott) Barlow. She was the thirteenth of thirteen children of that marriage. Mary lived in Lexington, Kentucky, but always wanted to go “home” to New Lisbon. She was very proud of her “Hoosier” roots.
Mary is survived by her three adult children: Mike (and Pat Gallahue) Humphress, Pat (Chuck) Ham, and Cheryl Shontz, ten grand and step-grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.
Mary spent most of her adult life in Louisville and was an active member of Southeast Christian Church. She moved to Lexington at the age of 70 and enjoyed working at JoAnn Fabrics and attending events with her church family at Tates Creek Christian Church.
Mary’s creativity showed in her personalized Christmas stockings for her great-grandchildren, an assortment of dolls and lovable stuffed animals. Her homemade hand-crafted chocolates, cookies, yeast rolls, Swedish tea rings, and Sunday Swiss Steak were amazing. Mary was creative, talented in sewing, crochet, embroidery and various crafts, and a singer that loved music. She was a gracious host and was always willing to allow her home to be the gathering place. Mary had a servant’s heart and shared her crafts, her time, her talents and her love with anyone she met. And, Mary had a sense of humor that was even more obvious to her family at the end of her life blessing them as she laughed openly and often while telling stories.
Visitation will be held at noon, Monday, December 5, 2022, at the New Lisbon Christian Church, 6477 East County Road 500 S, New Lisbon, Indiana. A celebration of life will follow at the church at 1:00pm, Pastor BJ Donahue officiating. Mary will be buried in the New Lisbon Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging (SBCoA) where Mary participated in multiple Alzheimer studies years before being diagnosed with the disease. Checks can be mailed to UK Healthcare Office of Philanthropy, ATTN: SBCoA, P.O. Box 34184, Lexington, KY 40588. Make checks payable to University of Kentucky and write SBCoA on the Memo Line. Online donations can be made at uky.networkforgood.com and search for Alzheimer’s Disease Research Fund. Arrangements have been entrusted to Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle. You may express condolences or share a memory of Mary at www.hinsey-brown.com.