MARY LEE KILLENS

MARY LEE MANSON WAS BORN ON MARCH 4, 1934, IN MARSHALL, TEXAS TO DANIEL WILLIAM MANSON SR. AND BEATRICE CRAVER-MANSON "QUEEN ESTHER." MARY ATTENDED GRADE SCHOOL IN MARSHALL, TEXAS. MARY'S MOTHER, "QUEEN ESTER," DIED WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT SIX YEARS OLD. MARY MOVED TO SAN DIEGO TO LIVE WITH HER FATHER, DANIEL MANSON AND HIS WIFE, BEATRICE. MARY ATTENDED FRONTIER GRAMMAR SCHOOL AND DANA MEMORIAL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. MARY ACCEPTED CHRIST AS HER LORD AND SAVIOR AT A EARLY AGE. 

WHEN MARY WAS 14 YEARS OLD, SHE CHANGED HER AGE SO THAT SHE COULD START WORKING. SHORTLY AFTER JOINING THE WORKFORCE, MARY MET AND MARRIED EARNEST WHITE FROM MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. TO THIS UNION, FIVE CHILDREN WERE BORN. AFTER MANY YEARS OF MARRIAGE, THEY DECIDED TO SEPARATE. THROUGH ADVERSITY. MARY WAS FORCED TO RAISE ALL FIVE 

CHILDREN BY HERSELF. IT WAS AT THAT TIME, MARY FLED WESTBOUND, BACK TO SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA WITH HER FIVE CHILDREN. 

AFTER RELOCATING BACK TO SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, MARY MANAGED HER FATHERS' AND HIS WIFES' CAFE CALLED SHADY MAE'S ON 25TH AND IMPERIAL. MARY MANAGED THE BUSINESS FOR SEVERAL YEARS. BACK THEN, THIS AREA WAS KNOWN AS "THE BLACK BUSINESS DISTRICT" OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA. WITH EXPERIENCE FROM MANAGING SHADY MAES CAFÉ, SHE OPENED HER OWN CAFÉ CALLED MARY'S TAVERN. MARY'S TAVERN WAS A PLACE WHERE THE COMMUNITY COULD COME IN, RELAX, PLAY A GAME OF POOL, DRINK A COLD BEVERAGE, AND EAT DELICIOUS FOOD. MARY WAS WELL KNOWN FOR MAKING A GREAT BOWL OF CHILI. 

AROUND 1962, MARY MET AND MARRIED RAY KILLENS. TO THIS UNION, ONE CHILD WAS BORN. MARY WORKED MANY JOBS. SHE WAS A HARD-WORKING ENTREPRENEUR. IN 1968. MARY ATTENDED DUDLEY'S HAIR COLLEGE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS FOR HAIR WEAVING. SHE WAS KNOWN FOR INTRODUCING HAIR WEAVING TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY IN SAN DIEGO. ADDITIONALLY, MARY FOUNDED AND ORGANIZED THE MISS BLACK SAN DIEGO PAGEANT. SHE CROWNED ROMELL FOSTER AS THE FIRST MISS BLACK SAN DIEGO. ROMELL WENT ON TO COMPETE IN THE MISS USA BEAUTY PAGEANT. WHILE IN HER HOME, MARY PROFES- SIONALLY TRAINED YOUNG WOMEN BY TEACHING THEM MODELING AND ETIQUETTE. THE ULTIMATE GOAL WAS FOR THE WOMEN TO COMPETE IN THE MISS USA BEAUTY PAGEANT IN ADDITION TO WORKING AND TEACHING YOUNG LADIES, MARY AND RAY PUT ON MANY EVENTS IN SAN DIEGO. ONE OF THE MOST MEMORABLE EVENTS WAS WHEN MARY BROUGHT THE IKE AND TINA TURNER REVIEW TO SAN DIEGO AT THE EL CORTEZ HOTEL THAT WAS AN EVENT TO REMEMBER! AFTER SEVERAL YEARS OF MARRIAGE TO RAY KIL- LENS, THEY DECIDED TO SEPARATE AND EVENTUALLY DIVORCED. MARY WAS A WORKING WOMAN. SHE WORKED 12 HOURS A DAY. FROM SUNUP TO SUNDOWN, SHE WORKED. SHE WOULD DO WHATEVER IT WOULD TAKE TO PROVIDE FOOD AND CLOTHING FOR HER SIX CHILDREN. MARY WAS WELL-KNOWN AND RESPECTED IN THE BLACK BUSINESS DISTRICT OF SAN DIEGO. WITH MARY'S RELENTLESS WORK ETHIC AND GOD'S GRACE AND MERCY, SHE WAS ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY RAISE HER SIX (6) CHIL- 

DREN ON HER OWN. 

AT 46 YEARS YOUNG, MARY ACCEPTED A HARD LABOR JOB AT SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY IN THE MAINTENANCE/CONSTRUCTION DEPARTMENT. MARY BELIEVED IN EQUAL WAGES FOR WOMEN. SHE WORKED RIGHT ALONGSIDE MEN ON CONSTRUCTION SITES WEARING BOOTS, HARD HATS, OPERATING CONSTRUCTION MACHINERY, AND EQUIPMENT. AFTER FIGHTING FOR EQUAL WAGES AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, MARY KILLENS BECAME DISABLED DUE TO A SPINAL CONDITION AND RETIRED IN 1986. 

AFTER RETIRING, MARY COULD NOT SIT STILL. SHE OPENED UP A STATE-CERTIFIED BOARD AND CARE HOME CALLED "LOVE AND CARE." OVER THE YEARS, SHE CARED FOR OVER 50 PLUS PATIENTS. UNDER HER SUPERVISION, SHE PROVIDED FULL-TIME CARE, RANGING FROM PREPARING MEALS, HOSPICE, FEEDING, PERSONAL HYGIENE, MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION, AND BEING AN EMPLOYER TO MANY, MARY WAS KNOWN FOR TAKING CARE OF PEOPLE, EVEN AT THE COST OF HER OWN EXPENSE AND HEALTH. FOR OVER 25 YEARS, MARY PROVIDED SERVICE TO HER COMMUNITY. EVERYONE KNEW AND LOVED MARY, AND SHE LOVED THEM. 

MARY KILLENS. WE SALUTE YOU FOR YOUR RELENTLESS, NEVER WAVERING, DETERMINATION AND DEDICATING YOUR LIFE TO "LOVE AND CARE" OF PEOPLE OF ALL WALKS OF LIFE, FROM THE YOUTH TO THE MOST SENIOR. THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU.. 

MARY LEE WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HER PARENTS DANIEL MANSON SR. AND BEATRICE CRAVER-MANSON "QUEEN ESTHER", DAUGHTERVIRGINIA LOYCE. THREE (3) SISTERS DORIS MANSON, TINA MANSON, DELORES REESE, SIX (6) BROTHERS L'AWRENCE MANSON, WILLIAM MANSON, ALONZO MANSON, DANIEL MANSON JR, RICHARD MANSON, LADELL MANSON, GREAT GRANDSON REGINALD WHITE JR. GREAT GRANDDAUGHTER JOY BLACKMON, AND MOST RECENTLY SPECIAL COUSIN, ROBERTA ENGLISH. 

AT 1:00 A.M. ON SUNDAY MARCH 6, 2023 MARY LEE KILLENS WAS CALLED TO HER ETERNAL HOME AND HER DAUGHTER VIRGINIA WAS THERE TO GREET HER. 

MARY LEE LEAVES TO CELEBRATE A LIFE WELL LIVED HER CHILDREN, FRANK WHITE (MICHELE WHITE) OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, GERTHA BRACKS OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, EARNESTINE GREEN OF WOODLAND HILLS, CALIFORNIA, ELAINE JOHNSON OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA AND RANDY KILLENS OF LEMON GROVE, CALIFORNIA, THREE (3) SISTERS, GLORIA MANSON OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, LISA MANSON OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, GLADYS WHITE OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, TWO (2) BROTHERS, JAMES MANSON OF SPRING VALLEY, CALIFORNIA, DANNY MANSON OF SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, TWENTY (20) GRANDCHILDREN, FORTY FOUR (44) GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, THREE (3) GREAT GREAT GRANDCHILDREN AND A HOST OF NIECES, NEPHEWS, COUSINS AND OTHER RELATIVES AND FRIENDS, AND A SPECIAL LONG TIME FRIEND MISS BOBBIE HAYES. 

MARY ALSO HAD SEVERAL CAREGIVERS AND FRIENDS WHO 

SUPPORTED HER THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AND THE FAMILY WISHES TO THANK THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT.!! 

STEPHEN MCNEAL, BENITA OLIVER, ANNIE WRIGHT. THE LATE DEMETRIA BOXX-CROWDER (MEECHIE), SAM THARPE, CYNTHIA GILLIAM, SENTAYUE (MIMI), PHYILLIS JONES, THE LATE CHARLENE WALKER, GLORIA MANSON TIFFANY EPPS, KYRA KILLENS, and MONIQUE LOPEZ. 

PROVERBS 31:10 A WOMAN WHO'S PRICE IS FAR ABOVE RUBIES 

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