Tim Moore
- September 19th, 2017
Mary & I met in Mrs. Cheney's Cascade School Kindergarten class of '54. Until she passed away, I'd known Mary longer than my brother.
She was my sometimes dancing partner at the dance classes held at the FHHS gym when we were in junior high (I was actually one of the tallest
kids in the class then -played center in basketball).
We spent 4 years together in Mr. Sanderson's band, where she & Mark Jason were 1st chairs in a very solid flute section.
It was my privelege to be part of the wedding of she & my very good friend Jim Koert on Sept. 4, 1971. We stayed in contact the rest of our
lives as the Koerts' odyssey took them literally from coast to coast (Berkeley to Boston & a plethora of places in between.)
The world would be a more pleasant, congenial & happy place were she
still with us, but I guess that's heaven's claim now.
Laurie Cope Grand
- July 14th, 2017
I met Mary in elementary school. Our moms (Jean and Janet) became great friends. I remember many hours playing in the Banta house, running through the barn, playing dolls in Mary's room. My mom even named my little sister after Mary. When my parents divorced and our family fractured, Mary's family was right there for us, and I will never forget their kindness. I'm very sad that Mary and Jim's children and grandchildren didn't get to have her for more years, but I'm sure the Banta legacy of kindness and authenticity lives on in them.
