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Mary Ann Voigt, 90, passed away peacefully on Sept. 26, 2020. She was born in Elgin, Neb., in 1930 to Fred and Nellie Holtmann. Mary Ann moved to Bingen, Wash., in 1946 with her family. She graduated from Columbia High School in 1948. One of her joys was volunteering in planning and then participating in the annual Alumni Reunion. Visiting with classmates old and new brought excitement and laughter to Mary Ann, who had a laugh nobody can forget. In 1951, Mary Ann married Leslie “Windy” Voigt, who she met at a dance at the Underwood Gym, and raised four children in BZ Corners, Wash.
Mary Ann enjoyed dancing, and while she never drank alcohol her entire life, she seemed to be the one having the most fun on the dance floor. Church events also filled an important part of Mary Ann’s life and singing in the choir was a calling. The annual Christmas show was the grand event she always enjoyed being a part of.
Helping others brought happiness to Mary Ann. She purchased a van so she could pick up her friends that didn’t drive and take them to appointments, shop for groceries, or just go for a ride. For several years, she traveled back and forth on the Hood River Bridge, helping friends and leaving a little paint on the bridge guardrails. When asked how the van got scratched on the front right fender, she would just roll her eyes and act surprised. Having her van and helping others was important and she didn’t want to lose her driving privileges.
Mary Ann was an advocate for the White Salmon Senior Center and after it was built, she contributed her time and energy helping others as the center became a hub for area seniors. Mary Ann’s volunteerism earned her a recognition as “Volunteer of the Year,” an award that gave her great pride and the desire to do even more. While the last 10 years have not allowed the activity level Mary Ann desired, earlier years were filled with miles and miles of daily walks. Around the loop at Pucker Huddle, down at the Bingen Port, she was always on the go. You would hear a cheerful “Good Morning” if passing on the trail. Mary Ann easily met new people and while a member of the Bowling League, competed for years and developed relationships for life. Many awards and trophies confirmed her competitive spirit and skill with the round ball. Her game of choice in the last few years was Rummikub. She was a great player and hated to lose. The first topic when starting a conversation was, “I played Rummikub today and I won.”
She is survived by daughters, Judy Gross and Marilyn Chapman, and son Don Voigt; brothers Bill, Kenny, Rick and Duane Holtmann; four grandchildren, Kevin and Billy Gross and Nessa and Alena Voigt; four great-grandchildren, Ashley (Gross) Walker, and William, Whitney, and Kaseton Gross; and many nieces and nephews. She is also survived by Ginger, her loyal four-legged companion for the last nine years.
She is preceded in death by her father and mother, Fred and Nellie Holtmann; husband, Leslie Voigt; their son Dennis Voigt; and brothers Fritz, Jerome, and Ray Holtmann and sisters Verna Sullivan and Clara Nigro.
Mary Ann will live on in us as we think of her every time we dance, be it at home in the kitchen or on a ballroom floor ... give your partner a twirl and say, “This is for you Mary Ann,” and give out a heart felt cheerful Mary Ann laugh.
Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. at the White Salmon cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 10. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the White Salmon Alumni Association at P.O. Box 974 or the White Salmon Senior Center at P.O. Box 1877 in memory of Mary Ann.
Gardner Funeral Home in White Salmon is in care of arrangements.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
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Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.