Mary Louise Wirkler

Mary Louise Wirkler was born in Garnavillo Iowa on July 17, 1926 to Herbert and Irene Wirkler. Also born at the same time was Mary's twin sister Margaret, who passed away at the age of three. Mary was saved, after attending gospel meetings at the Garnavillo Gospel Hall, on December 1st, 1942. She was baptized on May 16th, 1943 and received into fellowship at the Garnavillo Gospel Hall. Mary continued to maintain fellowship with groups of Christians as she moved throughout the world. Mary attended Garnavillo Public School and graduated from Garnavillo High School in May of 1943. She then entered the University of Iowa and the Cadet Army Nurse Corp and graduated with a BS in Science and Nursing in 1948. She worked in Downey Veterans Hospital, Downey, Illinois as a Cadet Army Nurse. Mary then continued her nursing career at Evanston Hospital in Evanston, Illinois and Langley Porter Clinic in San Francisco, California prior to joining the United States Navy. Mary joined the United States Navy Nurse Corp as an Ensign in 1952 and served in Portsmouth, Virginia, Bethesda, MD, Port Lyautey, French Morocco and Oakland Naval Hospital. Mary left the United States Navy in 1956 as a Naval Officer with the rank of Lt (JG). After leaving the Navy Mary worked in California in Hayward, Oakland and San Francisco also attended the University of California and San Francisco State College and obtained a Master's Degree in Psychology and interned at Stanford University, Counseling and Testing Center in Palo Alto, California. Mary decided to leave nursing in 1962 and began to work in the field of psychology and worked for the San Francisco Juvenile Court and the Oakland and Fremont public schools until she joined the Department of Defense Dependent School(DODDS) in 1969. Mary was assigned to schools in Kadena, Okinawa and then was assigned to Incirlik, Turkey and became known as the ""Flying Psychologist"" as she was traveled to schools in Karamasel, Ankara and Izmir in Turkey as well as schools on the island of Crete and in Greece and Ethiopia. Mary then moved to Naples, Italy and served schools in Italy, Sicily and Sardinia. In 1978 she moved to Weisbaden, Germany and spent the rest of her career serving DODDS schools throughout Germany until 1994 when she retired and moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado. In addition to her travel for the Navy and DODDS Mary traveled extensively on vacations and visited all of the continents of the world. She and several friends took the trans-Siberian railroad all across the USSR in the midst of the cold war from the Pacific Ocean to Europe. She skied glaciers in New Zealand, skied and hiked in Volksmarches throughout Europe. Mary is survived by two sisters, Lorna Mowat of Plano, TX, Helen Wirkler of Dallas TX and a brother, Norman Wirkler and his wife Peggy, of Carbondale, CO. Mary also has two nephews, Chris Wirkler of Carbondale, CO and Scott Wirkler and his wife Sandy and their two sons, Jamie and Jake of Carbondale, CO. and one niece Elizabeth English and her husband Jeff and their two boys, Trevor and Andrew of Plano TX. For those desiring, the family requests with gratitude, that in lieu of flowers, contributions in honor of Mary be directed to the Alzheimer's Research Foundation, 22512 Gateway Center Drive, PO Box 1950 Clarksdale, MD 20871-1950 or Sol Amor Hospice, 7950 E Prentice Ave. Ste 101, Greenwood Village, CO