Mary Anna (Berg) Gerth, 89, passed away peacefully on Thursday, August 2, 2018 at Edward Hospital surrounded by her family. Mary was born on July 2, 1929 in Evanston, IL, the daughter of Alvin & Anna Berg. Mary was baptized on July 28, 1929 and confirmed on April 18, 1943. She graduated from Evanston Township High School in June of 1947. In November of that year, Mary met the love of her life, Delmar G. Gerth. They were engaged on Christmas Eve and married on June 19, 1948. Although a quick courtship, they were married for 67 wonderful years. Del passed away in January of 2016. Mary and Del lived in Evanston until they moved to Palatine, IL where they raised six children—3 boys and 3 girls. Mary loved being a mom. She enjoyed cooking, baking, sewing clothes and spending time with her children. As the children grew, Mary worked outside of the home. Two jobs she liked the most were working as a nurse's aide at Northwest Community Hospital and driving school buses in Illinois and Florida. She was so fond of the children who rode her bus that she decorated the bus for holidays and led sing alongs with her passengers. She especially enjoyed driving students on field trips to Walt Disney World. Her students always called her Miss Mary. Mary was very involved in her faith communities—she loved Jesus, encouraging those around her to have a childlike faith. She was active in school programs, choir, Sunday School, Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML), and Aid Association for Lutherans (AAL). Mary served in leadership roles in both LWML and AAL. In her youth, she was a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Evanston. From 1951-1971, she was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Palatine. In 1971, Mary and the family became charter members of a new congregation, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, also in Palatine. When Mary and Del moved to Florida in 1980, they joined Redeemer Lutheran Church in Melbourne. During their time in Florida, Mary and Del were trained as Lamplighters for AAL which resulted in the two of them traveling all over the state, conducting workshops helping people plan for their retirement. In 2007, Mary and Del moved back to Illinois and became members of St. Luke's Lutheran Church in Montgomery. Mary really enjoyed going out to eat with the OWLS (Older Wiser Loving Seniors) group. Mary loved to sing; music was always a part of the Gerth household. When Mary and Del were first married, they were members of the Lutheran Choir of Chicago. One of Mary's favorite memories was singing at Carnegie Hall in Chicago. Mary also loved to swim. She grew up swimming in Lake Michigan and continued swimming throughout her life. She enjoyed knitting, doing crafts, and in her later years playing games on the computer. Her favorite activity was going out to eat and talking to people at the restaurants. Mary's smile was a mile wide and she loved being around people. She loved chatting with strangers and sharing stories about her family or about being a school bus driver. She was enthusiastic about life and loved to travel. Mary especially enjoyed going to Disney Parks—those days brought such joy to her. In late January of 2018, Mary moved into Bickford of Oswego, an assisted living facility. She was thrilled to live in her own apartment—she had never lived alone her whole life. She loved her new home and friends, and all of the activities she could participate in. Mary is survived by her six children: David Gerth, Melbourne, FL; Sharon (Skip) Jay, Indio, CA; Mark (Rose) Gerth, Hampshire; Robert Gerth, Belvidere; Luann Gerth, Montgomery; and Robin (Bryan) Slinkard, Joliet. Mary had 11 grandchildren, 27 great grandchildren, and 5 great-great grandchildren. Mary was so proud of having 64 people in her family. Mary is also survived by her brother Carter (Joan) Berg of Huntley, IL and two nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and husband. Mary's funeral service will be held at 10:00 am, Tuesday, August 7, at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 63 Fernwood, Montgomery, IL with Reverend Peter Hoffman officiating. There will be a visitation at the church from 9:00-10:00 prior to the service and a luncheon following. Burial will follow at Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood. Friends may call from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m., Monday at Dunn Family Funeral Home at 1801 Douglas Road in Montgomery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Luke's Lutheran Church or the Pulmonary Hypertension Foundation.