Mary Lu Bitting

BUDA — Mary Lu Bitting, 76, of Buda died Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2014, at her home.

She was born March 27, 1937, near Buda, the second daughter of Henry and Lucille Hopkins Nielsen. She attended State Road School and Buda Grade School, and graduated from Buda Township High School in 1954. She was an accomplished pianist and accompanied vocal groups at Buda High.

After graduation Mary Lu attended business school at AIC in Davenport, Iowa. She worked in Davenport before returning to Bureau County and beginning her married life.

She married Boyd Bitting on Jan. 19, 1957, in Sheffield. He died Feb. 5, 1988. They raised four children, Virginia Bollinger, Sally Robinson, Jeff Bitting and Barbara Landeen.

Mary Lu worked at Citizens First National Bank in Princeton, retiring in 1998. She had served on the executive boards of Bureau County Home Health and United Way, Western Community School Board and Buda Village Board, and had been a trustee of St. Patrick's Church in Sheffield, where she was a lifelong  member. She served as court reporter for Bureau County Coroner's office through Boyd's and Janice Wamhoff's terms.

Surviving are her four children; a daughter-in-law, Tara Bitting of Buda, and a son-in-law, Greg Landeen of Wyoming, Minn. Her grandchildren are Chris (Julie) Bitting and great-grandson, Cayden, of Iowa; Austin Bitting of Manlius; Kurt, Becca and Tori Bitting of rural Buda; Caleb Bowyer, Preslie and Isaac Pond of Buda; Jessica Robinson and Jennifer Robinson of Iowa; Jill Landeen of Minnesota and Tara Landeen of Iowa. Her sisters are Judy Hauk of Nebraska and Pat Wooldridge of Iowa. Also surviving are two brothers-in-law, Neil (Sandy) Bitting of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Bob Phillips of Moline, as well as several cousins, nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Annette Spero; a sister-in-law, Nancy (Bitting) Phillips; and a son-in-law, Eddie Bollinger.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, 2014, at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Sheffield with Father Mark Miller officiating. Burial will be in St. Patrick's Cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31, at the Grant-Johnson Funeral Home, Princeton.

Memorials may be directed to the Buda Rescue Unit, Buda Fire Department or St. Patrick's Catholic Church.

Online condolences may be left at www.grant-johnsonfh.com.