Mary Ann (Taylor) Castle, 103, St. Joseph, Missouri, passed away December 15, 2021.
She was born January 25, 1918 in Commerce, GA to Edwin H. and Meda Appleby Taylor. Her father worked for Gulf Oil and the family moved to Pensacola, then Chipley, FL and finally to DeFuniak Springs in the Florida panhandle. Growing up 30 miles from the Gulf coast beaches, Mary Ann had a lifelong love of seafood and sunshine.
She attended Palmer Academy in DeFuniak Springs and began working at a bank. She was recruited to take a civil service exam and began working for the War Department at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida where she met Jimmy Dolittle’s Raiders who were stationed at Eglin for wartime training. She started working for the Air Weather Service at the Air Force Base in Marianna, FL and in 1946 transferred to Air Weather Service Headquarters in Washington, DC. It was in post war Washington that she met Air Force pilot Captain Donald O. Castle on a blind date. They were married in May of 1948, then were transferred to Dayton, OH where her children Donald Jr. and Susan were born.
While Don was deployed to Korea, Mary Ann and kids stayed with family in St. Joseph and Florida. Their next assignment was Ft. McClellan, AL where her children Douglas and Candace were born. The family received their first overseas assignment to Ankara, Turkey in 1955. Mary Ann loved the adventure of living in a different culture, regularly shopped Turkish markets and bazaars and loved taking a trip to the Holy Lands and Egypt with her church group. The next assignment was at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington, DC with the family living in Silver Spring, MD and enjoying regular weekend visits to the museums and Capitol Mall for picnics. In 1961 the family’s next assignment was to Oslo, Norway where Don was assigned to NATO headquarters. Mary Ann often said Norway was the best place they ever lived. She continued her love of going to markets and antique shops and had custom Norwegian sweaters knitted for the whole family. She learned to ski and cooked everything Don brought home from his travels.
In 1963, Don retired from the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel and they moved back to his hometown of St. Joseph where he taught math and physics at Central High School. When her children finished high school, Mary Ann took a job at People’s Savings and Loan. When North American Savings acquired People’s, Mary Ann was hired as branch manager of their new location on the Belt. She retired in 1985 after 15 years.
She was a long-time member of Westminster Presbyterian, joining Trinity Presbyterian when Westminster closed.
Mary Ann had a passion for reading and was an excellent bridge player. After her retirement, she played bridge regularly with several groups. She was a member of the Oak Grove extension Club and was treasurer at the Heartland Hospital gift shop.
She and Don continued their love of traveling, with trips to New England, Jamaica, Canada, Alaska and to Australia and New Zealand to visit her brother Charles who was head of NASA tracking in Canberra. Mary Ann had an adventuresome spirit and talent for adapting, embracing new technology and reading books on her Kindle.
She was preceded in death by husband, Donald Sr.; son, Donald Jr.; her parents; brothers, Ed, Charles and George; and sister, Ruth.
She is survived by her children, Susan Castle Kimberlin, Wilton Manors FL; Douglas (Donna) Castle, Colorado Springs CO; Candace Castle, St. Joseph; grandchildren, Becky Castle Miller (Matthew), Wheaton IL; Zach (Hannah) Castle stationed in the Republic of Georgia; Daniel (Ashley) Castle, Monument, CO; and 11 great-grandchildren.
Memorial service to be held at a later date. Inurnment at Leavenworth National Cemetery.
