Mary Garrett

Mary Garrett, a resident of King City, Ore., from 1986 through 2000, died recently at a memory care facility in Port Orchard, where she had moved after residing for almost 10 years in an assisted living program at the recently closed Hotel Cathlamet in Cathlamet. She was 91 and had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for several years.

Friends and family remember Mary as a gentle, soft spoken woman whose many interests included serving 21 months as an appointed member of the King City city council. She was very active with the Republican Women’s clubs in Klickitat County, Washington, and in King City. In 1959, Mary was one of two women to represent Washington state at a luncheon hosted by President Dwight Eisenhower. She was also associated for many years with the Youth For Christ organization and served as the Executive Director of the Mid Columbia YFC during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Mary and her husband Bill, who preceded her in death in late 2000, enjoyed their retirement years traveling and living for short periods of time in Florida, Wisconsin, southern California, and Oregon. She particularly enjoyed exploring new cities, discovering new restaurants, and staying at elegant older hotels throughout the United States. By the time of Bill’s death, they had visited every state except Alaska.

Mary Bennett Hopkins was born in 1918 in The Dalles, Oregon, the daughter of Anita Bennett and newspaperman Harold “Hop” Hopkins. She and Bill were married in 1939 and lived in the Portland area, in Wishram, and in Minneapolis during Bill’s long career as an official with the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad and, later, the Burlington Northern.

Mary leaves four sons – Bill, Brent, Bob, and John – three daughters-in-law, five grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. One of her greatest joys was finding occasions to bring them all together and she loved the many hours she was able to spend with them.

Mary’s ashes will be interred next to her late husband’s in the Bennett family plot in The Dalles.