Mary Louise Birney

Mary Louise Birney, 82, of Dover, Ohio, formerly a longtime resident of the Deersville area, passed away on Saturday, February 5, 2011, at Union Hospital in Dover, Ohio, after a period of declining health. Born October 24, 1928 in Youngstown, Ohio, she was a daughter of the late William Halsey and Mary Emma (Gilmore) Birney.

On May 23, 1948, Louise was married to O. Dwight Birney with whom she enjoyed over sixty years of marriage until his passing on December 28, 2008. She was a loving wife and homemaker, also assisting in her husband’s business, Birney Insurance Agency, where she was his secretary for many years. Louise and Dwight are survived by their three children, Jeanne (Dick) Baker of New Philadelphia, David (Carla) Birney and their daughters, Allison Birney and Jennifer (Brendan) McKee, and their granddaughter, Cassidy Rose McKee, all of Dover, and John R.(Kathryn) Birney and family of Tippecanoe; a sister-in-law, Olive White of Tippecanoe; and many nieces and nephews.

Louise was a 1945 graduate of Weir High School in Weirton, W. Va., before moving to the Deersville area where she was very involved in the life of her community. Louise served on the local election board, and was a longtime member of Deersville United Methodist Church where she was active in the United Methodist Women. She was also a member of the Deersville Garden Club and an advisor for Stitch and Stock 4-H for many years. In her spare time, she enjoyed gardening, reading, sewing, quilting and crocheting.

Services for Louise, officiated by Pastor Keith Cope and Joan Kuceyeski, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 9, in Deersville United Methodist Church. Interment will follow beside her beloved husband in Deersville’s Patterson Union Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to call at the R.K. Lindsey Funeral Home in Dennison from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Those wishing to honor Louise’s memory by a charitable contribution are encouraged to do so to Deersville United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 59, Deersville, OH 44693 or the charity of their choice.
R.K. Lindsey Funeral Home, Inc.
(740) 922-1970
www.lindseyfh.com