Mary Elizabeth Foote, of Bryce, passed away peacefully after a long illness on March 5, 2022. She was 70.
Mary was born October 25, 1951, in Safford, AZ. She was raised on the Foote Ranch, south of Safford. Mary went to elementary and high school in Bowie, AZ. She attended Pima Community College, University of California at Irvine, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Plant Sciences from University of California at Davis in 1981.
She worked for the Arboretum of Los Angeles in Arcadia as a plant propagator from 1988-2000, when she retired. At that time, she moved to Buckhorn, NM to be close to her aging parents. While in Buckhorn, she started Three Foote Farm, a custom vegetable farm, which she successfully ran for several years. After her parents died, she moved to Bryce to be near her brother.
Mary was an avid San Francisco 49ers fan and looked forward each year to the football season. She was artistic and loved making mosaic creations. She never saw or heard of a museum that she didn’t want to visit. She was a voracious reader and went through a stack of books each week. She will always be remembered for her gardening skills, and her family will miss all the vegetables she grew each year.
She is predeceased by: her parents, Jack E. and Genie Foot; her grandparents, Gerald and Bertha Foote and Harry and Ora Mae Oliver.
Left to mourn her passing are: her son, Kenny Abney (Sonya Williams); her brother, Jon Foote (Vicki); nephews, Will Foote (Melanie) and Wes Foote (Katie); 7 great-nieces and nephews; many cousins; her once husband and lifelong friend, Danny Abney; and a host of friends.
She was greatly loved and will never be forgotten. We will miss her smile, her big heart, her sense of humor, and all the other little things that made her our wonderful Mary.
A graveside service for Mary will be conducted on Friday, March 11, 2022, at 11:00 a.m., at the Bryce Cemetery. A gathering of family and friends will be held directly afterwards at the L.D.S. Relief Society Building, at 60 W. 100 South, Pima.
Online condolences may be offered at www.viningfuneralhome.com
Arrangements are entrusted to Vining Funeral Home.
