Mary Patricia Elmes was born in Spokane in 1932 to Lela Coil Rumsey and Elver Wateman Rumsey of Malo. Mary passed away on April 19th in her home at Malo. She had three brothers and one sister. Delbert Hazen Rumsey was the only sibling to grow to adulthood. Mary started first grade in the old Malo School which stood where Strandberg's alfalfa fields are now. She started school with Bernadine Sparks and Jack Lindsey in first grade. Elver and Lela moved to Seattle during the war years and Mary attended school in the Tukwila area of Seattle. She started high school at Foster but the family moved back to Malo halfway through her freshman year. She graduated as valedictorian from Curlew in 1950 and upon graduation began working for the assessor at the Ferry County courthouse. She made friends with several of the courthouse staff under auditor Robert Lackey. In 1951 she and Douglas Elmes were married in Republic. Their two older children, Stephen and Susan (Crystal), were both delivered by Dr. Graham McConnell in the old hospital in Republic. The Elmes family and Lela moved to Seattle after Elver Rumsey's death, and Daniel was born in Seattle in 1962. For a time, Mary worked for Seattle Public Schools after Daniel was born and while Lela was living with the family in their Seattle-area home. Elmer Elmes lived on the homestead close to Mary and Doug's home site during most of the years when Lela, Mary and her family were living in Seattle, as well as when they traveled back and forth over the years to Malo. The Homestead Farm has been home since Daniel Howard and Ida Samantha Rumsey came in October 1900 with their eightyear-old son, Elver. Pat and Doug's 50th wedding anniversary was celebrated along with the anniversary of the homestead. After Pat and Doug's house in Seattle was sold, they were both able to live at Malo for the remainder of their lives.
Mary is survived by her three children and a granddaughter, Caroline Elmes in Oregon. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, her brothers Delbert and Dale, and her sister Margie.
Bergh Funeral Service is in charge of cremation. Memorial donations may be made to Forget Me Not Animal Shelter in Republic.