Mary Nixon

Mary Louise Nixon, nee Ridge. Born April 6, 1931, Mary passed on the early morning of May 28, 2021 at the age of 90.
Mary spent most of her young live waitressing. She loved being around people and making them happy. She would always stop at Jewel to pick up everything we needed for a great lunch at the beach and always had the attitude of “we are here, let’s have a great time!” She would spend time with her niece and nephews, having sleepovers. However, she was never good with directions and would need to stop at a gas station on the way home with a car full of kids to ask for them! Mary loved animals and cherished her dogs, Monkey & Chico. Mary had a love for baseball - watching the Chicago Cubs, going to see her grandson play baseball, or just taking a walk to the park to watch a game.
Mary took great pride in helping raise her two grandchildren, Lauren and Adam. They would spend countless hours in the backyard gardening, playing on the swing set and in the sandbox, and eating tomatoes picked right from the garden. Mary and her grandchildren would ride the bus to the zoo and the beach; walk through the neighborhood to KFC and Baskin Robin’s; walk to the gas station for York Peppermint Patties and Twix. As they grew older, she would take them to and from school and help them with their homework. Pack them lunch every day and make a delicious dinner every night. Lauren’s favorite memories are cooking with her grandmother and learning her favorite recipes – pork chops and scalloped potatoes. Adam’s favorite memories are playing baseball together in the backyard. In 2009, Mary gained another grandchild, Marty the family dog. The two quickly became best friends. Absolutely inseparable. She would feed him all of his favorites – oatmeal, plums, Italian beef, carrots, and fried chicken to name a few. Marty would often bark to trick his family into letting him out the back door and up the stairs to go see his grandma! Mary loved her grandchildren tirelessly and unconditionally.
Mary loved being outside. One of her favorite projects every summer was growing and pruning the peonies in the backyard. She would share her vegetables with the neighbors, garbage men, and even the mailmen! Watering the grass and picking weeds by hand, she took great pride in making the house look beautiful.
Mary was giving, kind, caring, empathetic, wise, and patient. She was selfless and had a lust for life that was matchless.
Thank you to the Citadel Healthcare family and staff for their devoted love and care. Mary brought joy and laughter to the staff, and she will be missed. Having such remarkable care gave her the quality of life she deserved and more time to spend with her loved ones.
Mary Nixon, daughter to the late Elizabeth Conroy; beloved wife to the late William; mother to Marlo (Larry) Vignola; grandmother to Lauren and Adam Vignola; sister to the late Tom (the late Sandy) Ridge; sister-in-law to the late Betty (Sam) Longo, the late Lucille (the late Gary) Mack, the late June, Marie (the late Franz) Baker, Pam (Vince) Notariano; aunt to the late Tom Ridge (Lynn), Debbie (Jeff) Andrzejewski, Randy (Sherry) Ridge, Jeff (Mary Margaret) Ridge; cousin to Darlene Jones; many other adored cousins, nieces, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews; all those who affectionately knew her as “Grandma Mary”.
In lieu of flowers, kindly direct donations to www.CFF.org/Chicago > Donate to this chapter > Under the title of the page, please click the link to donate in someone’s memory and enter Mary Nixon.