Cover photo for Mary Cole Rack's Obituary
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1935 Mary 2021

Mary Cole Rack

June 6, 1935 — April 4, 2021

Mary Cole Rack

Born June 6, 1935 in Moline, Illinois to Bessie Simpson Oglevee (dec. 1988) and Donovan Warne Oglevee (dec. 1980), Mary Louise grew up in Rock Island and Sterling, small towns west of Chicago, Illinois. An only child with a keen interest in the sciences, for many years her goal was to be a chemist. She lived in Rock Island during grade school, and during 6 th and 7 th grades attended St. Katherine’s School for Girls in Davenport, Iowa.

Mary and her family moved to Sterling in 1949 and she graduated from Sterling Township High School, class of 1953. She continued her education at Grinnell College in Iowa (1953-1955) and received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor (1957). Mary went on to earn two master’s degrees: first from Western Michigan University in Education (1968) and second from Michigan State University in Labor and Industrial Relations (1975).

She married Roger L. Cole on June 9, 1956 and the marriage ended in 1968. They had six children: John Thomas, Gregory Laurence, Catherine Louise, Diane Marie, Paul Simpson, and David Felton. When Mary wrote this, she had 18 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

Mary entered the IT world soon after completing her MA in 1968. At that time, it was called “data processing” and was entirely different from the technology in use today. She worked in that field or related ones for her entire career, in governments, higher education, publishing, and later in volunteer organizations. Her focus in all jobs, both paid and volunteer, was end-user support and skill development, and along the way she developed approaches and programs for that purpose.

Her working life began in Kalamazoo, Michigan, when she took a job as a computer programmer in 1968. Later that year she became a high school counselor and school-community liaison during a period of racial unrest. In 1970 she moved to East Lansing for graduate work at MSU. There she worked variously as a clinical psychologist, teaching assistant, and research assistant in area banks. During that time, she was a single parent of 6 children, so close in age that for two years all were teenagers. From 1974 until 1983 she worked for the Michigan government, first Vocational Rehabilitation, the Department of Labor, and finally five years as Management Services Director in the Department of Licensing and Regulation.

In 1984, she married Charles W. Rack and took a “deferred retirement” from Michigan state government to explore the United States with her new husband in a motor home. After 2 ½ years they settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico where they spent the next 5 years. While living in New Mexico she taught business management classes for the University of Phoenix, worked on Census ’90, and taught briefly for Santa Fe Community College and the University of New Mexico – Los Alamos campus. She then spent 1988-1989 at UNM-LA as Director of Student Services, which included installing a new real-time online admission/registration system linking them with main campus in Albuquerque.

In 1989 she returned alone to the Midwest to be closer to family. She reentered the work force – slowly. It is a challenge at 54! Mary lived in Cincinnati, Ohio for two years doing parttime work until joining the IRS on its tax-payer hotline. In late 1990 she moved to Indianapolis, Indiana, where she worked for the Indiana Department of Correction, just starting to automate its clerical work. She traveled the state installing desk-top computers in prisons and parole offices and trained staff on their use. In 1992 she went to Prentice-Hall Computer Publishing as a development editor but returned to the Department of Corrections as assistant to the IT department director. She remained there until retiring in 1998 from a position which included department wide responsibility for IT equipment procurement plus management for IT support: equipment installation statewide, troubleshooting and training.

In 1998, just before her retirement her husband died, and Mary returned to Michigan. She lived in Ann Arbor for a year and joined the American Association of University Women (AAUW), enjoyed being near family, and started travelling. During that time, she built a home near Farwell and joined the Midland AAUW, which also served to expand her travels as she quickly became involved in state-wide activities.

In the following years she continued to travel in the US, also visiting Russia, Europe, the Mediterranean countries, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, South America, Mexico, and many areas of Canada including Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and the St. Lawrence Seaway. During that time she was very active with AAUW at local, state, and national levels, ending her career with that organizations as California state webmaster and committee chair in the AAUW national organization.

Meanwhile, she moved to Cleveland to enjoy the many arts and activities she had discovered there while visiting her son and his family. Mary was a volunteer docent at Cleveland Symphony and a volunteer film reviewer for Cleveland International Film Festival. That eventually proved to be too far from her expanding family, most of whom lived in Michigan, so at the end of 2011 she made one last move to Northville, Michigan. Mary worked at her son and daughter-in-law’s bakery, Great Harvest Bread Company in downtown Northville. She was an amazing and dedicated mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend.

Mary is survived by her children, John Cole, Gregory (Laurie) Cole, Catherine (Glen) Gillespie, Diane (John) Manley, Paul (Cindy) Cole, and David (Julie) Cole; her grandchildren, Benjamin, Timothy, Bonnie, Hannah, Rebekah, Sarah, Melody, Erica, Jonathon, Eloise, Catherine, Daniel, Scott, Bill, Laura, David Tyler, Travis, and Jackie; and 13 great grandchildren with one more on the way. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband Charles W. Rack.

A celebration of life will be held this summer. Please go to casterlinefuneralhome.com to receive updated information and to share memories and condolences. Memorial contributions would be appreciated to The International Museum of Dinnerware Design , 520 North Main Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104. The Director is establishing a $5,000 Internship in Mary's name because she was an enthusiastic volunteer and supporter for many years. Donations can be made online at www.dinnerwaremuseum.org

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