MaryAnn was born to Boyd and Ann Rydbom on Oct. 24, 1927, and passed away at Providence Centralia Hospital in her 95th year, July 15, 2023. MaryAnn’s life began in Bluffton, Minnesota, weighing just 2 pounds at birth. She was a fighter then and remained a fighter during her life, encountering many obstacles but always remaining such a positive faith-filled lady.
When MaryAnn was 19, after three years of letters to her Army sweetheart serving in World War II, they married as soon as he was discharged. They moved from Bluffton to Winlock, Washington. There, they had nine children, Joe Lewis Jr., John Lewis, Rick Lewis, Larry Lewis, Gary Lewis, Eleanor Lewis Lane, Ann Lewis Butkus, Mary Lewis Arth, and baby James Lewis, deceased. After Joe Sr. died while logging, MaryAnn later married Ray Nelmes, the Winlock judge who helped raise her family of young children. When Ray became ill she was there for him every step of the way, as he had been for her. After his death, in her later years, she married Richard Hiatt. They shared a love until his untimely death by drowning in the flood of 2007. In her twilight years she shared the companionship of Rick Turner.
MaryAnn was known for her cooking and baking skills. At Christmas time, her kitchen was the place where hundreds of cookies and candies were made, to be given to lucky family and friends. She was a strong, one-of-a-kind woman who had an unconditional love for her family. She was known for her kindness and ability to listen.
She leaves behind eight children, 18 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren, 18 great-great-grandchildren, with one more due in December. MaryAnn’s wish was to remain home and live independently in her final years, and her youngest daughter was there to help her do just that.
No formal funeral is planned, per MaryAnn’s wishes. In her memory, play baseball with a child (she’d love that), feed the birds or bake cookies for someone. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the church that meant so much to her, Bethel Church, 132 Kirkland Road, Chehalis, WA 98532.
There’s so much more that should be said, but in the end what she did was make our world brighter.
