Mary Lue Coons Sullenberger

She was born August 1, 1927 at her grandparents’ farmhouse in Blackford County, Indiana, to Homer V. and Icie (Michael) Huffman.

She was a hard worker and always strived to represent God’s goodness and grace. She joined the United States Cadet Nursing Corps on August 27, 1945. She withdrew from the nursing program in May 1946 when her childhood sweetheart, Melvin “Mel” Lloy Coons, returned from World War II. They were married for thirty-nine years, until his passing.

Mel’s health required that they move to a drier climate. However, Mary Lue refused to move to Arizona until 1952, when her children were five years old, due to her fear that they would not be able to survive a scorpion sting if any younger.

Mary Lue was very active in the church and was an integral part of helping establish and build the current Tucson Church of the Brethren. She always enjoyed the outdoors and led several youth group hiking and camping trips.

She and Mel started their own business, M&M Mobile Home Steps. In 1983, she took a medical coding class and became a certified medical coder, working at University Medical Center, until she retired in 1991.

She married Frank Sullenberger in 1992 and they traveled the United States over the next ten years, including Alaska and Hawaii, returning to Tucson each winter.

She was preceded in death by both her parents and her siblings: three sisters, Mercedes Huffman, Betty (George) Culbertson, Julia (Leroy) Brown and a brother, Robert (Sally) Huffman; both of her husbands; and her great granddaughter, Lorene.

She is survived by her two children, Nikki Ellen Briere and Melvin “Mick” Alan Coons; five grandchildren, Jennifer (Tim) Worden, Heather (Benjamin) Pagdilao, Jeanette (Wayne) Becker, Jason (Saffron) Coons, and Michael (Cara) Dameron; nine great grandchildren, Christian, Dakota, Shelby, Megan, Joshua, Ethan, Maxwell, Kylie, and Logan; and many nieces and nephews.

Memorial services will be at 1:00 pm on Saturday, January 27, 2018, at Tucson Church of the Brethren, 2200 North Dodge Boulevard, in Tucson.