Krepps, Mary Louise's Obituary
Mary Louise Krepps was born on August 15, 1940, the youngest daughter of Mildred Blanche Gross Virts and George Albert Virts, Sr. This was when they resided on South Street in Frederick, MD. She has an older brother, George Albert Virts, Jr. (Sonny), who married Patricia Virts, and an older sister, Barbara Virts Grimes (Sissy), who married Wiliam (Bill) Grimes who has since passed on. Sonny and Sissy both live in Pennsylvania now. Years later, the Virts family added Franklin Eugene Virts (Frankie), who Mary enjoyed caring for as her mother’s helper. Frankie went on to marry Bonnie Virts, who passed away a little while ago. Bonnie and Bill remain close to our hearts.
While some people are born with talents for music, or sports, or finance, Mary was born with a talent for service. She was born with a servant's heart. She had a unique ability to place other people before herself. This started as early as 12 years old when she took a job cleaning a house. This skill developed over the decades and Mary became known for her standards for cleanliness. She could often be observed spotting the smallest amount of dirt from far away and going over to pick it up. This persisted even when her other faculties failed her. She perfected her art for cleaning over the decades, serving many families with her housecleaning skills.
But way more than her cleaning service, was her emotional service and support of others. Family, friends, and strangers who were experiencing the pain of life would find unconditional caring from Mary. She listened endlessly. She validated their feelings. She gave encouragement and let them know they were not alone. Hours of time on the phone and sitting with people to ease their pain and stand with them through their crisis. If empathy was a treasure, Mary was a billionaire.
When her mother and aunt Mary (her namesake) became ill and required nursing home care, Mary stopped her life for years to go help take care of them. She functioned as an angel on earth to so many, touching them supernaturally with the simple power of unconditional love. While many leave behind money or goods when they leave this earth, Mary leaves behind the product of extreme loving care which has had a ripple effect that will last for eternity.
In 1958, she graduated from Frederick High School and married Guilford Luther Krepps, Jr. This year they celebrated 67 years together. They didn’t really know a life outside of each other. They enjoyed the kind of loving fusion most people only dream about. Their material life was nothing spectacular, but the infrastructure of their love and dedication to each other was a mighty fortress. In 1962, their firstborn, Lora Lynn Krepps Lesh was born and this illuminated inside Mary a destiny she longed to fulfill, to be a mom. Lora and her mom enjoyed about ten years together before Mary’s second born, Benjamin Leslie Krepps was born. Lora quickly became her mother’s helper and the two worked together until Lora met Thomas James Lesh and married him in 1980. After that, Ben enjoyed special time with his mother for another 10 years. Mary made life special for Lora and Ben, keeping a careful eye on their development and making sure they knew their mother was always on their side. They would go on to form special memories with their mom over the years that will last forever.
The years that followed brought a slew of grandchildren and it’s safe to say this was the golden age of her life. Despite having 10 grandchildren, each one was made to feel special. The individual memories they have are countless and specific. She took special care to make sure each grandchild felt like they were the only person in the world. She was rich enough to go on to have 13 great-grandchildren.
Many people live their life with selfish ambition, but it is a rare soul whose ambition is to support other people's ambition. Like Aaron and Hur lifting up Moses’ arms in the battle against the Amalekites, Mary stood in support of the work of others, assisting them with selfless sacrifice. She did this for many, but none more than her family. She was the immovable force that held them together and launched them to success.
All her life, Mary followed the teaching of Jesus when He said, “There is no greater love than to lay down your life.” She leaves this earth with an eternal legacy of love, worthy of His charge. In return, we honor her by using her example, by loving others the way she loved us.
What’s your fondest memory of Mary?
What’s a lesson you learned from Mary?
Share a story where Mary's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Mary you’ll never forget.
How did Mary make you smile?