FOREVER YOUNG: Ottumwan keeps busy with holiday baking

By LORI FAYBIK Courier correspondent

OTTUMWA — Mary Stoltz has been busy baking as she prepares to spend Christmas with her large family.

She looks forward to going to a Christmas Eve Church service with her family before returning home for oyster stew, a family tradition. Christmas morning is also celebrated at her home.

“We always have Christmas breakfast together,” she says.

In fact, she recently prepared nine Christmas coffee cakes to serve to her family.

Four of her five children live in Ottumwa. The fifth is in Houston, Texas, so she enjoys large family gatherings.

It used to be a tradition to make gingerbread men with her 11 grandchildren when they were younger. She still loves cutting out the cookies and adding a little white edging after they have baked.

Mary moved to Ottumwa from Chariton in August 1939, when her father came here to work at Lowenburg Bakery.

She went on to study music at Ottumwa Heights College before beginning her career as a kindergarten and first grade teacher, first at Webster, Iowa for a couple years and then in Ottumwa until retirement. She spent over 26 years teaching.

Mary came from a large family — she has four sisters and two brothers — and all are still living. The oldest is 96 and lives in Germany. The rest are scattered about, living in San Diego, Calif., Denver, Colo., Duluth, Minn., Rock Island, Ill., and Cedar Rapids.

“We have a very close family, and we do get to see each other,” she says, noting that she does travel a lot.

Mary keeps busy with gardening, flowers and plants. In addition to gardening outdoors, she maintains well over 100 potted plants indoors.

“Gardening is just a wonderful experience! I think people who garden are just happy people,” she says.

She is active at First Presbyterian Church on the Mission Commission. She loves to bake bread and help with church luncheons. She has served as a Sunday school teacher, choir member and on Session.

Mary is involved in the Shakespeare Reading Group, a book club and PEO. She used to serve on the Ottumwa Area Arts Council and belong to the Art Club.

“I keep very busy,” she says. “I do fairly normal things.”

Mary has high praise for Ottumwa. “I think Ottumwa is a great town! We have a good school system, Indian Hills, Ottumwa Regional, symphonies, Civic Music, Community Players and a fine Bridge View Center.”

Of course, she notes, there are many other wonderful things to do in Ottumwa. “These are just the things I enjoy and partake in.”