Mary Lou Day

At the age of 96, Mary Lou Day passed peacefully from this world into the next in the early morning of Wednesday, January 28th, 2026. Born in the living room on the Wheeler homestead in Westfield, Indiana, on October 13, 1929, she never lived more than a mile away from where she entered this world. Her parents, Charles Paul and Esther (née Wise) Wheeler, named Mary Lou after her two grandmothers, Mary and Louisa, who were present at her birth. An only child, she grew up actively helping on the family farm — from gathering eggs (her least favorite chore), to helping in the fields, to pushing her cats down the lane in her baby buggy — the same one her great-grands have enjoyed pushing around her house 90 years later.

A part of the “old” Westfield, Mary Lou was a graduate of Westfield High School in 1947 and went on to further her education at DePauw University, where she obtained a BS in foreign languages in 1951. On December 28th, 1952, she married James Donald Day, a fellow Westfield alum, although a year ahead of her in school. Their wedding took place immediately following Don’s return from serving his country in the Korean War. “I hardly recognized him,” she said upon his return. They were married for 68 years before Don passed in the winter of 2020. Don and Mary Lou were blessed with two children along the way, son Kevin and daughter Becky.

Her professional life after college began at Eli Lilly, where she served as a personal assistant. She later went on to serve as the private secretary for the State of Indiana. The bulk of her employment took place at Westfield High School, where she served as the administrative assistant for the school guidance counselor for 18 years.

Don and Mary Lou lived out part of their retired life during the winter months in Largo, Florida, at Lee’s Travel Park, where they spent a few months each year for many years enjoying time with friends and the warmth of the Florida sunshine. She loved when her family would come for spring break and enjoyed showing them off to her fellow winter-avoidant comrades.

Mary Lou enjoyed attending any and all kinds of social or sporting events involving her children, grandchildren, and ultimately great-grandchildren. She loved sporting events at Westfield High School when Kevin played ball and Becky was in the band, as well as Purdue football games and Colts games at the Hoosier Dome. When her grandkids attended Purdue, she and Don purchased a small motorhome to come up to tailgate — likely the only “dry” tailgate in the lot. She loved feeding and hosting all the kids, fully embracing her role and introducing herself as, “Mamaw,” to anyone who happened to show up. Her proud tailgate attendance record totaled 25 kiddos, and not one ever left hungry.

Her love was often shown and given through her cooking. From homemade chicken and noodles or dumplings, to cherry pie (her son-in-law’s favorite), to cowboy cookies (the grandkids’ favorite), brownies, and her famous (to us, anyway) yeast rolls, cinnamon rolls, sugar cream pie, pecan pie, and wonderful Christmas candies like peanut brittle, fudge, and divinity. She made sure to let us know when she was trying a “new recipe.” Mary Lou always made sure anyone she could serve never left on an empty stomach. She carried that same act of service into her volunteering at Christ United Methodist Church in Westfield through fish fries, spaghetti dinners, and funeral suppers, as well as actively helping with and baking for the Westfield Lions Club Fish Fry.

Mary Lou enjoyed gardening and was never afraid of yard work or keeping things nice. It was nothing for her to wax a truck or a car well into her 90s, paint miles of board fence at the farm, or fill every crack in the cement driveway by hand. Much to the family’s chagrin in her later years, she would sneakily purchase more hedge trimmers or pruning supplies to continue caring for her outdoor plants.

She never met a stranger and could carry on a conversation with anyone while making them feel totally part of her world. Some may say she missed her calling in sales, as she could always convince you to take one more cookie and remind you, “There’s plenty!”

Her faith played a large role in her life, as she was known by God with Jesus as her Savior. She was a lifelong member of Christ United Methodist Church in Westfield, where she was also part of the Women’s Society. Mission work was close to her heart, and she supported numerous mission groups over the years. She also had a deep love and appreciation for agriculture, shown through her membership in the Hamilton County Farm Bureau, where she proudly shared that her father was a founding member.

She will be fondly remembered as a tough, loving, independent, hardworking, thrifty, people-first human whose greatest joy in life was her family, where she served as wife, mom, and loving Mamaw.

Survived by her two children Kevin (Ann) Day and Becky (Dave) Weiss

o     Four grandchildren Nathan (Renee) Day, Chris (Sarah) Weiss, Kristen (Ryan) Yutzy and Cameron (Rachel) Day

o     Seven great-grandchildren, Henry Day, Lyla Day, Madeline Weiss, Annabelle Weiss, Lyle Yutzy, Wade Yutzy, Clara Day

o     Close cousin Helen Bray

Preceded in death by her husband, Don Day, her parents, & her close cousin Phil Wise.

Visitation will be from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm, with services at 2:00 pm, on Wednesday, February 4, 2026 at Randall & Roberts Funeral Center, 1685 Westfield Road, in Noblesville. Pastor Doug Shoemaker will officiate. Mary Lou will be laid to rest next to Don at Hamilton Memorial Park Cemetery in Westfield.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Hamilton County 4-H Council, 2003 Pleasant Street, Noblesville, IN 46060.

Condolences: www.randallroberts.com