Mary Lavonne Allred

Mary LaVonne Allred, age 89, of Mt. Carroll, IL, passed away October 19, 2024, at Big Meadows Nursing Home, in Savanna, IL. A funeral service will be held at Law Jones Funeral Home, in Mt. Carroll, at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 26. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery, in Mt. Carroll. A Mass will be said in her honor at SS John and Catherine Catholic Church, at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, October 24, 2024 in Mt. Carroll, separate from the funeral service.

Mary was born April 25, 1935, in Mt. Carroll, the daughter of John and Anna (Legel) Galvin. She attended local schools, graduating from Mt. Carroll High School with the class of 1953. Upon graduation, Mary enlisted in the United States Air Force. It was during this period of her life that she converted to Catholicism. While stationed in Omaha, NE, Mary met and married Julian Allred. Mary received an honorable discharge from the Air Force in 1955. In the next phase of life, she served as the role of homemaker as she and Julian dutifully traveled in support of his mission serving the country as an Air Force service member.

In 1967, Mary moved back to Mt. Carroll where she began work at Atwood. She worked there for 27 years, retiring at an early age so she could travel and volunteer. She would visit residents of Good Samaritan Nursing Home (Now Allure) in Mt. Carroll twice per week, and volunteered countless hours to the local thrift stores, senior center, and Meals on Wheels.

Mary, a proud member of SS John and Catherine Catholic Church, and its Ladies Society, was a woman of exceptional faith, and on quite a few occasions, that faith was rewarded in some surprising ways. Such as the time she lost her wallet at the airport while spending the night in Guam on a layover, only to have the attendant return it to her the next morning while checking in for her next flight; or the time she discovered a snake in her living room, and set down a paper bag praying that God would guide the snake into the bag so she could take it outside. A few minutes later, that snake cooperated!

That faith and beautiful attitude towards life made her a beloved member of her community and a wonderful mother and later grandmother and great grandmother. She was greatly involved in her grandchildren’s lives, helping to raise them into the loving and caring people they are today.

Mary never liked driving much, so following her retirement from Atwood, she sold her car and never bought another. She would ask for rides only when absolutely necessary, and loved to walk all over town, even in freezing conditions. She preferred to have her life grounded in her community and those she loved. She never owned a TV and would instead invest her time into walks about town and reading. Her Bible was her favorite book. During the last few years at Big Meadows, Mary loved watching the birds, and kept her spark for life, largely due to her daily phone calls with her son, Matt, as well as calls from many others whom she loved.

Mary will be dearly missed by her children, Mike (Patricia) Allred, of Benson, AZ, Mickey (Dennis) Webber, of Kingsport, TN, Marsha (Mark) Flickinger, of Thomson, IL, Marty (Angie) Allred, of Tombstone, AZ, and Matthew Allred, of Tucson, AZ; grandchildren, Kristin Armstrong, Cassie Bostick, Shawn Flickinger, Anna Themas, Mollie Rockafellow, Taylor Mensing, Jennifer Edgerton, Melissa Brenes, Eric Webber, Joseph Webber, Ben Allred, Val Allred, Hazen Allred, and Anya Allred; and 32 great grandchildren. Mary is preceded in death by her parents, John and Anna; brother, Blaine (Phyllis) Galvin; and son, Mark Allred.