Mary Crompton

Mary Ruth Crompton passed away on July 6, 2022, in southwest Florida.

Mary was born on May 24, 1931, in Faunce, Park Township in Lake of the Woods County, where she spent her early years. In 1936 the Crompton family moved to Zippel Township in Lake of the Woods County as part of a federal government relocation program, where they built a home.

Mary often recalled her idyllic childhood, including swimming in the gravel pit and in a cold Lake of the Woods, picking blueberries, enjoying playing with neighboring kids, and being able to walk to her best friend’s home through the woods on her own. On one such walk she recalls looking up to see two baby black bear cubs staring down at her and she knew enough to run home as fast as she could and not look back. She made it home but could not speak for many minutes. It was an incident she always recalled.
Mary attended school in Williams. She enjoyed ice skating as a child but never liked it that the boys’ hockey team got the rink reserved first. As a young girl, Mary always wanted to have her own horse and was delighted when various horses would appear in their pasture — some were friendly and allowed her to ride them. It was only years later that she realized that the horses were destined for the local mink farms.

Her father worked for Canadian National Railways. He was tragically killed in a train accident in Canada in 1944.

While visiting family in distant California at age 14, she decided she wanted to stay in California and refused to move back to Minnesota. Fortunately, her relatives agreed she could stay with them for a while. She was joined there by her wonderful mother, Elsa, who found work to support them and they both enjoyed not having to live in a harsh climate.

Mary finished high school and college in Los Angeles and held a job at a soda fountain and then at a bank, where she was assigned to update the ledgers of clients whose name began with the letter S — she always thought there were too many people whose surnames began with S!

Mary then started her dream job, as a flight attendant with TWA (Trans World Airways) in 1952. She started work in the airline industry when it was an extremely glamorous career. Mary flew out of Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco, and she met many notable people, including movie stars and politicians. With her elegance and gracious charm, in her early years, Mary was frequently used by TWA in promotional events.

During her career, Mary lived at different times in Newport Beach, New York, and Palo Alto. Mary eventually started flying on TWA’s international routes, and with increasing seniority was able to choose interesting itineraries. Her nieces and nephews were often able to admire postcards Mary sent from afar with foreign stamps, a rarity back in the 50s and 60s.

In 1969, while deadheading from Los Angeles back to San Francisco on TWA Flight 85, the flight was hijacked by a passenger holding an M1 rifle, (the hijacker assembled his gun in the plane’s bathroom.) The man was demanding to go to various destinations, but the flight first landed in Denver to refuel where the hijacker allowed all the 38 passengers and three of the working flight attendants to disembark. Mary happily got off in Denver! A skeleton crew and the hijacker flew on to New York, Bangor Maine, and Ireland for refueling stops before finally landing in Rome. This was the hijacker that the Italians fell in love with and made him a celebrity. Mary was happy never to have that experience repeated!

Mary thoroughly enjoyed all her travels to exotic locations throughout the world as well as the many friendships she made with her TWA colleagues. She also enjoyed the plentiful opportunities that her life gave her to play tennis, swim, sunbathe, surf, and ski as well as travel simply for pleasure. Mary, like her mother and brothers, was a very positive person who never had a bad word to say about anyone. After retiring in 1995, she was able to enjoy the camaraderie of the Clipped Wings Club for TWA retirees for many years.

Mary was always a very independent lady who lived for her career, and after retiring, moved from Newport Beach, California to Florida, initially to St Pete’s Beach, then to Naples, and lastly to Bonita Springs, where for many years she was an active member in the Pelican Landing Tennis community.
Mary was the youngest child of George Bardsley Crompton, who was born in Philadelphia and died in 1944, and Elsa Josefina Crompton, who passed away in 1964. Elsa was born in Sweden and emigrated in 1910 to the USA from Sweden on the RMS Lusitania to join other family members. She and George were married in 1923.

Mary’s oldest brother, George Bardsley Crompton, predeceased her in 2014 and is buried in Scandia MN. George’s wife, Bernice, lives in Slayton MN. Their son, David, and wife June live in Clearfield UT and are parents to Catherine, Georgia, Carolyn, and deceased son George. Their daughter Susan Gurrola lives in Woodbury MN and is the mother to Ted and deceased son Spencer. Their daughter, Jennifer is married to Edward Becker and they live in Jacksonville IL ,and are parents to Ian.

Mary’s older brother, Robert Laurence Crompton, predeceased her in 2020 and joined his wife Maxine at the National Cemetery in Sarasota, FL. Robert and Maxine are survived by their six children. Linda is married to Roger Hanson and they live in Cape Coral, FL. Robert Jr. (Bob) is married to Leanne and they live in International Falls, MN. Virginia is married to Peter Schofield and they live in North Fort Myers, FL, and are parents to Alex and Chantelle who is married to Jeremy. Daniel is married to Judith and they live in Wiliams, MN, and are parents to Robert Mableson who is married to Muriel, Ross Mableson who is married to Amory, and to daughter Beth. Alan is married to Mary and they live in Warroad, MN, and have three sons, Maksymilian, Remington, and Zacchaeus. Colleen is married to Greg and they live in High Point N.C. and are parents to Srijon who is married to Anna.

Mary will be resting beside her parents in the Pine Hill Cemetery in Williams MN. She will not only be joining her parents but also two maternal uncles and her maternal grandmother , who are buried in the same cemetery.

Mary will be missed by all of her family, who will remember her as their glamorous, generous, kind, and fun aunt and great aunt (and by her great-grand nephews Scimitar and Peregrine Gorelick, with whom she shared many WhatsApp video calls during her last year), as well as by her many friends and former colleagues.

A graveside service has been arranged for 4 p.m. on Friday, August 26, 2022, at the Pine Hill Cemetery.