Mary Elizabeth (Morrill) Klise

Mary Elizabeth Klise (nee Morrill): Passed away peacefully at Health Central Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Winter Garden, Florida on September 28,, 2023. She was 94. Mary was born in Lynn, MA on November 15, 1928 to Francis Leo Morrill of Lynn, MA and Leah Henriette Cormier Morrill of Ontario, Canada. The third of eight children, Mary graduated from St. Mary's High School in Lynn, MA, and worked as a secretary for General Electric. In 1945, Mary became a postulate for the Sisters of St. Catherine in Kentucky, a convent of Dominican Sisters, and pledged her profession as a nun in 1948 taking the name Sr. Leah Morrill, in honor of her mother. She completed her education with the Sisters of St. Catherine, became a teacher and taught third grade in an all-boys elementary school. She received mention in the book Signadou - the History of the Kentucky Dominican Sisters. Mary was an irrepressible wit and was often in trouble in the convent, planning hijinks with the other nuns. Late night kitchen raids led to her punishment of having to make all the beds in the convent for a period of time. Told that all nuns must perform for a visiting cardinal of the church, she checked out a violin and put on the program she would play The Flight of the Bumblebee. However, Mary never played any instrument and could not play the violin. When her time to perform came, she held up the violin and made a buzzing sound with her mouth, humming the entire song as though she was a bee. Mother Superior did not share her sense of humor, and Mary continued for a long time to hone her bed making skills. After falling extremely ill at the age of 21, Mary left the convent and went home to her parents. During her recovery she met her future husband, Kenneth Duane Klise. They were married for 22 years and resided in Peabody, MA and Gainesville, FL. They had two daughters: Kathryn A. Deel and Patricia M. Snyder. A stay home mom, Mary taught all the kids on St. Anne's Avenue in Peabody how to ride a two-wheel bike, and our yard was a gathering place for neighborhood kids to make crafts, paint and play. After her divorce, Mary worked for Florida Farm Bureau in Gainesville, FL for many years. She loved to dance and won several jitterbug contests through a local singles group, including one which landed her photo on the front page of the Gainesville Sun newspaper. She was an avid golfer and met Canadian Jean Elizabeth McLeod on the links in Williston, FL. They became lifelong best friends. Maintaining residences in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Williston, Mary and Jean spent more than two decades traveling between their homes and playing golf at every opportunity, while indulging their fur babies Elizabeth and Mackey. After Jean's passing in 2006, Mary moved to Winter Garden to be closer to her daughters. In 2016 Mary's respiratory health began failing after a lifetime of smoking, and she moved to Health Central Park for assisted living. She was often found sitting at her computer workstation reading the Sault newspaper online, connecting with friends via email, or playing free slots. She enjoyed going out for lunches and dinners with her family, and made several great friends at the Park. The family is grateful to the staff of the Park, who all treated Mary with care and compassion. Her family thought of Mary as a combination of Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett. She was funny and could bring down the house with her antics. She became an overnight sensation on a cruise for her 75th birthday, when she was randomly drawn as a contestant on a trivia show. She pretended to bribe a judge with cash from her pocket to add points to her score, and the audience loved it. The show was televised onboard, and for the rest of the cruise, everywhere she went there were shouts of "there's Mary!". Mary was preceded in death by her parents, life partner Jean McLeod, brothers Frank Morrill, Alan Morrill, Paul Morrill, David Morrill, and sister Josephine Morrill Barrett. She leaves to cherish her memory brother Chester "Buddy" Morrill (Salem, MA), sister Gloria Jean Thompson (Gary) of Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, daughter Kathryn Deel (Wayne) of Clermont, Florida, daughter "Trisha" Snyder (Andy) of Orlando, Florida, grandchildren Jennifer McPeak (Jason) and Christopher Deason of Roanoke, VA, Kate Snyder Davis (Jeff) of Winter Garden, FL and Mark M. Snyder (Marissa) of Mars Hill, NC; great-grandchildren Kaitlyn Welch and Sydney McPeak of Roanoke, VA, and Harper Davis and Finnegan Davis of Winter Garden, FL, along with numerous nieces and nephews and her friends at Health Central Park. The family has planned a private remembrance to coincide with Mary's 95th birthday this fall, and we extend our appreciation to Susan and Jim Shaw, who will assist our family by scattering some of Mary's ashes on "Jean's Beach" in the Sault.

Mary Elizabeth (Morrill) Klise

November 15, 1928 - September 28, 2023