Ghormley, Mary (Campbell) 1919-2015

CAMPBELL, GHORMLEY, THOMSON, MCALLASTER, HILL, BRUCE, SHARP, CAYLOR, CARUSO

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 7/27/2015 at 17:37:03

Mary (Campbell) Ghormley, 95, died peacefully in her sleep Thursday, July 23, 2015, in Lincoln, Neb. She was born in Newton, Sept. 8, 1919, to parents Margaret Ferne Thomson and Timothy James Campbell. She graduated from Newton High School in 1937, and from Monmouth (Ill.) College in 1941, with a bachelor of arts degree in liberal arts. In college, she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. From college she went to Chicago and worked for a time with the National Parent Teachers Association, then as secretary at the Fourth Presbyterian Church.

In Chicago, she met and married Roger Ghormley July 10, 1943. They moved to Lincoln, Neb., in 1946, where Mary was a homemaker.

She and her family attended Westminster Presbyterian Church where she served as Sunday school teacher, Deacon and Elder. She was an active member of P.E.O. Chapter DM.

She was a founder, past president and life member of the Lincoln Quilters Guild. In the 1970s, she taught quilting in her home. In the 1980s, she helped document quilts for the Nebraska Quilt Project survey and is featured in the book Nebraska Quilts and Quiltmakers. In 1987, she was elected to the Nebraska Quilter’s Hall of Fame in recognition of the many roles she had served in the renaissance of quiltmaking and collecting in the late 20th century.

Mary was one of the key influences in bringing the International Quilt Study Center to Lincoln. Since its formation in 1997, she had put in many volunteer hours at the center. Her collection of doll quilts and extensive quilt library were acquired by the center. Eighty doll quilts from Mary’s collection were featured in the book “Childhood Treasures, Doll Quilts By and For Children,” published in 2008, and authored by Merikay Waldvogel, a nationally known quilt authority. At the center her quilt library is housed in the resource room which is associated with the Mary Campbell Ghormley Reading Room, which was sponsored by the Lincoln Quilters Guild.

Mary is survived by her husband, Roger; five children, Peggy (Cary) McAllaster of Derby, Kan.; Phyllis (David) Hill of Anchorage, Ark.; Marilyn (Dave) Bruce of Omaha, Neb.; Keith (Jana) Ghormley of Lincoln, Neb.; Martha (Tom) Sharp of Lincoln, Neb.; 18 grandchildren; 23 great-grandchildren; and 11 nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by both parents; her older brother, Tim, Jr.; her younger sister Margaret Caylor; and great-granddaughter Moriah Caruso.

A memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 28 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 2110 Sheridan Blvd. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, July 27 at Roper and Sons Funeral Home, 4300 ‘O’ St., with family present from 6 to 8 p.m.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation in her memory to your favorite charity. ~ The Newton Daily News, Newton, Iowa 27 Jul 2015.