Presente
Fittingly, I first met Mary Frances on a protest march, sometime in the 1980s. I don’t remember what we were protesting or what banner she was carrying or who was holding the other end, but I do remember my husband and I replacing the other carriers. Mary Francis refused to relinquish her end. Doesn’t that sound exactly like the Mary Frances you knew?
Mary Frances Smith—the epitome of active devotion to making the world a better place for everyone to live in. She never missed an opportunity to support the things she believed in or to strongly oppose injustice. At the same time she faithfully and unsparingly used her accounting skills to watch over the Gray Panthers’ finances. You could always depend on Mary Frances to be there when you needed her. Plus she was good company and fun to be with. What more could anyone ask? Hail and farewell, good friend and comrade in the fight for a better world. We will sorely miss you. We hope your spirit will march with us as we continue your good fight.