Mary Alice Loney (Gleason) was born May 5, 1921 in Putnam County, Missouri and died December 31, 2010 in Lompoc, California.

She was baptized into Christ at the age of seventeen in 1938. Mary was a life long member of the Church of Christ where she taught Sunday school classes as long as all of her family can remember. She was also a member of Prelado de los Tesoros, (the docent organization at La Purisima Mission State Historic Park) serving more than 3,000 volunteer hours, and a Volunteer and Trustee at the Lompoc Museum for many years. She served as an officer of the Lompoc Community Women's Club, was a volunteer and Trustee of Friends of the Lompoc Library for a lengthy period, tutored math in the Clarence Ruth Elementary School Learning Center for several years, served in leadership positions with the Girl Scouts, Campfire Girls, numerous PTA chapters, and belonged to many other groups and organizations.

As a child she lived in a number of locations in northern Missouri and southern Kansas, where she attended a variety of local schools. The family eventually settled in Wichita, Kansas. She was a 1939 graduate of Wichita (KS) High School East, in a class of 959, and worked at various housekeeping and clerical jobs. She attended the Kansas School of Business in 1941, and continued to work in clerical positions until 1947.

She was quite proud of her job at the Prudential Insurance Company, where she spent five and a half years, rising to the position of claims clerk, but gave it up to marry Marvin Dwight Loney on December 21, 1947. The two of them raised five children, with the family moving to Lompoc in 1963-1964. Although her primary interest was in the well-being of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she was involved in many benevolent services in the community, and served as First Lady of Lompoc from 1986-1990.

She is survived by her loving husband Marvin (Lompoc, CA), her brother Orval Gleason (Wichita, KS), her children Susan Loney Jones (Van Nuys, CA), Steven Loney and his wife Sharron (Prineville, OR), Sara Talbert and her husband Paul (Sebring, FL), Rebecca Loney Schellin (San Luis Obispo, CA), Michael Loney (Lompoc, CA).

Surviving grandchildren are Kristina Jones and her partner Patrick Fairman (Atlanta, GA), Jonathan Jones (Van Nuys, CA), Kara Jones (Van Nuys, CA) and their father, Bill Jones (Van Nuys, CA), Ian Loney (Seattle, WA) and his mother Sylvia Schroeder, Mike Jones (Prineville, OR), Kim Jones and her husband Chad Sumner (OR) Jason Talbert (Sebring, FL), Troy Talbert (Sebring, FL), Richard Morford (IA), and Nathan Morford (IA).

Mary delighted in her Great-Grandchildren Lucas Eckstein-Jones and Isabella Eckstein-Jones (both of Van Nuys, CA), and Kash Sumner and Kruz Sumner (both of OR). She is also fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews, cousins, and a multitude of friends.

She survived her father Fred Orval Gleason and his wife Hazel, and then her mother Edith Crystal Noland and her husband Harold Baskett. Both of her sisters, Twila Jeffries and Lucille Wheeler, and her brother Basil Gleason also preceded Mary in death. She is survived by her brother-in-law Bennie Jeffries, and sisters-in-law Johanne Loney, and Jean (Gleason) Thompson.

Visitation hours will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, January 8 at Starbuck-Lind Mortuary. A memorial service will be held 1:30 p.m. Sunday, January 9 at Lompoc Church of Christ. Graveside services will be 11 a.m Monday, January 10 at Lompoc Evergreen Cemetery.
If desired, donations may be made to: Lompoc Church of Christ, 138 North O St., Lompoc; Prelado de los Tesoros of La Purisima State Historic Park , Phone: 736-3605; Lompoc Historic Museum Associates, Phone: 736-3888; or Hospice Partners of the Central Coast, 277 South Street, Suite R, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Phone: 805-782-8608 or 800-801-8019