Mary Jean Becker's Obituary
Mary Jean Hickman Becker, age 77, of Clearwater, FL, passed away in her home on Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
She was born in Brooksville, FL, on August 31, 1938, to Marcus and Oneta Hickman. Her Uncle Marvin nicknamed her "Cooter" because as a baby she stuck her head out of the basket like a turtle. In 1941, her family moved to Dunedin, FL, and then moved again to the northern edge of Clearwater in 1958. It was then that she met the man next door, Rudolph Becker, whom she married on May 22, 1960. Their first daughter, Mary Lou, was born in 1961, followed by their other daughter, Susan, in 1964. During her high school years, Mary Jean played trombone in the Clearwater High School band, danced on point in ballet, was a member of the Rainbow Girls, was a delegate to the National 4H Congress in Chicago in 1956, was a very popular babysitter, and worked at the Blue Birds Drugstore in Dunedin. As an adult, she volunteered at church, taught children's Sunday school at Curlew United Methodist Church, was a Girl Scout leader, and worked as a housekeeper and caretaker at Top of the World in Clearwater. In the 1970's, she and Rudy opened their home to two sisters, Dorothy and Shannon Ryan, and became their legal guardians. Mary Jean loved mowing grass, painting with Artex paints, reading a wide range of books, searching on the web, and doing word search puzzles. She was known far and wide as being generous, never complaining, encouraging others, and being the family "go-to" contact person - always keeping everyone connected. She is survived by her children, Mary Lou Tillman (married to Andy) and Susan Watson (married to Tom); her grandchildren Jessica and Travis Tillman and Olivia and Elias Watson; and her sisters Marlene Smith and Carol Varn. She was preceded in death by her husband, Rudolph Becker, in 1991.
A visitation will be held from 12 pm to 1:30 pm on Sunday, January 10th at Moss Feaster Funeral Home in Dunedin. Funeral services will begin at 1:30 at the funeral home.
Interment will be held at Curlew Pioneer Cemetery
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