Published on April 5, 2025 6:00 am
Last Updated on April 7, 2025 4:28 pm
Mary S. Ludwig, 88, of Effingham, IL, passed away peacefully at Willow Breeze SBL Hospice House in Mattoon, IL, on Friday, April 4, 2025.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:30 on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Effingham. Burial will follow at St. Anthony Cemetery, Effingham. Visitation will be held for family and friends on Saturday, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM, at Bauer Funeral Home, Effingham.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to SBL Hospice, 700 W Lincoln Ave, Charleston, IL 61920.
Mary was born on August 24, 1936, in Danville, IL to Jay and Margaret (Gaines) Barnett.
On June 28, 1958, Mary married Lloyd Ludwig in Effingham. They were married for 63 years, until his passing in 2022. They were blessed with five children: Cathy, Sue, Lori, Julie, and Lynn. In their daughters’ eyes, the two of them together were a winning team.
Mary grew up in Indianola, IL, a small farming community in East Central Illinois. She attended Indianola Grade School and High School and was the valedictorian of her graduating class. She spoke lovingly of her childhood, and had much love for her mother and daddy, and the community where she was raised. After high school, Mary attended Eastern Illinois University, majoring in Social Sciences, earning a degree to attain her teaching certificate. During her freshman year at EIU she met her future husband, Lloyd, and as she said, the rest was history. She graduated in 1958, got married that June, and moved to Kankakee, IL, where she taught junior high. After five years, the family moved to her husband‘s hometown of Effingham, IL, where she taught junior high at St. Anthony Grade School. Her last teaching position was at The Kindergarten Center, where she taught for nine years. She retired in 1975 to be a stay-at-home mom to her four, soon to be five, daughters.
Mary had a fondness for hosting and entertaining. She loved people and always wanted to stop and say hello to a familiar face. So important to her were her lifelong friends, The Birthday Girls, whom she would declare, ‘My, have we had the time of our lives during our untold adventures.” Mary cherished the memories she and Lloyd made at Lake Sara, especially charming the grandchildren with all there was to explore on the lake. But truth be told, Mary’s favorite place may have been wintering in Naples, FL. She and Lloyd found their ‘paradise’, as she referred to it, and met countless new friends along-the-way. Mary loved to laugh, she liked to have a good time, and this was evident when she was with family and friends, and newcomers too. She was definitely a people person and thrived in that space. Anyone who ever had the opportunity to witness a ‘Mary’s Moment’ in Naples, knew she relished in the moment when trying to humor others. She said she thought she got that characteristic from her dad. That optimism and humor were key ingredients for her happy life.
Mary was fun loving but had a serious side too. Someone once said, with her wit and flavor, she speaks to your soul. She will be dearly missed. The family would like to thank all those who showed kindness to Mary during her lifetime.
Mary is survived by her daughters, Cathy Lucks of Columbus, OH; Sue (Scott) Kabbes of Effingham; Lori (Ed) Grunloh of Effingham; Julie (Jeff) Richards of Effingham; Lynn (Dustin) Lindley of Milford, OH; her eleven grandchildren, James (Whitney) Lucks, Elizabeth (Jake) Lucks Vasiloff; Krista (Jake) Kabbes Niebrugge, Kari (Ray) Kabbes Zumbahlen; Andrew (Rachel) Grunloh, Patrick Grunloh; Kate, Emma, and Meg Richards; and Will and Nora Lindley; nine great grandchildren, Brooks, George, Lila, Jack, Mia, Elliott, Harrison, Theo, and Joan; sister-in-law Norma Grunloh of Waukesha, WI; brothers-in-law Jerry (Diana) Ludwig of Effingham, IL; and Leo (Jennifer) Ludwig of Naples, FL.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd Ludwig; her parents, Jay and Margaret Barnett; her sister Barbara Sentelle; mother and father-in-law, Leo and Josephine Ludwig; in-laws Ken and Jeanne Ludwig; Bob and Judy Ludwig; Ruth and Ron Roach; and Ed Grunloh.