Mary Jean Raines

Mary Jean Raines, 88, Beloved Mother, Grandmother, Wife, passed into her eternal reward April 7th, 2023 in the company of loved ones in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

She was born October 18, 1934 in Denver, Colorado to George Bacas and Virginia Garnett. After losing her father at a young age, Mary gained a loving step-dad, Martin Daly, who raised her and her sister, Helen Naranjo-Tuffield, as his own children. Mary was a soul full of love and humor, who loved to dance. Growing up between the peaks, she attended South High School. Her early interests included modeling, typing, dancing, and working as a librarian assistant.

Mary took part in the early days of computing, working at May D&F, typing IMB punch cards. Mary also worked for Martin Marietta. 

Mary’s first marriage was to Rod Van Vors.

Mary’s second marriage was to Charles E. Raines, Sr. They met at a roller-skating rink in downtown Denver, their courtship culminating in their marriage on April 16th, 1966 in Grandma Daly’s house. They spent their honeymoon in Hawaii, where Mary learned to hula dance. 

For the next 57 years, Mary and Charles raised their family across the United States and England as they moved with Charles’s deployments. She loved games, embroidery, sewing, and quilting. Growing up deaf, she faced and overcame many challenges, reading lips when young. Later in life, she learned sign language and found a passion in the sign language community for the rest of her life.

Through the years, Mary loved playing games and spending time with her children and grandchildren. Mary passed on her love of sewing and crochet to her children and grandchildren, along with a passion for God and caring for others. She prayed without ceasing.

Mary is survived by her husband, Charles E. Raines, Sr. and her children, Eva (Roland) Thron, Kathy (Karl) Bush, Chuck Raines, Bronco (Anne) Van Vors, Carrie Feuser, and Bill (Betty) Raines. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Donna Wood, Candra (Eddie) Connick, Seth Bush, Jacob (Jennifer) Bush, Jeanell Thron, Nathanael Bush, Kelsey (Miah) Williams, Jesse Bush, Caleb (Sarah) Raines, and Dylan (Katherine) Raines; great-grandchildren: Hunter Wood, Caden Bennet, Rini Osborn, Emily Bennet, Maci Williams, Ember Raines, and Gavin Williams. She was also blessed with a great-great-grandchild, Rylee Wood. She is survived by many beloved nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Helen Naranjo-Tuffield, and nephew Marty Naranjo. 

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