Mary Wilder, long-time Lompoc resident, passed away peacefully on Thursday, May 22, after a decline in her overall health. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Burt Wilder and is survived by her son Sam and his wife Sandi, her daughter Marlene and her husband Neal, and her stepdaughter Cherry, as well as seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Mary was born Mary Jane Cockrell in Oklahoma on January 13, 1931, to Sam and Mattie Cockrell. She also had a younger brother, Lewis. The family moved to California when she was six years old, settling in the small farming community of Buttonwillow. After graduating from Bakersfield High School, she married Burt Wilder from Taft while he was still in the Navy. They were married for over 69 years, living in Taft and on the Belridge Oil Lease until they moved to Lompoc in 1973.

Mary made a living doing something she loved - cooking. She was the head cook at Belridge Elementary and in Lompoc she worked several cooking jobs for local restaurants and organizations until she landed at the Hi! Let's Eat restaurant where she worked as head cook for a few years before purchasing the restaurant as her own business.

When Burt retired from the county, Mary retired from Hi! Let's Eat, and they adventured around in their motorhome for a while. What she loved was staying home, spending time with her family and making big meals whenever she could. She was also skilled in sewing and ceramic painting.

All of us agree that she was one of a kind, an unforgettable character who was a much-loved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, and she will be missed by all of us who had our lives touched and shaped by her life, her big personality, and her undeniable love.

"Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her." (Proverbs 31:28)

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 7, 2025, from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Lompoc Elks Lodge.