Obituary of Mary Elizabeth Gable

Mary Elizabeth Gable, 97, passed away peacefully on June 19th in Tucson, Arizona.

Mary was born July 14, 1922, in Pierce City, Missouri, to Joseph and Mary Katherine Abramovitz.  She attended Pulaski Field School and Fairview High School.  She felt fortunate to live on a farm during the great depression because her family always had food.  She first moved to Arizona in 1958.

A very talented seamstress, in Tucson Mary helped form a needleworkers union, was instrumental in the development of a needle trades program at Pima Community College, and founded and managed Flair Sportswear before returning to Missouri to care for her aging father.  She returned to Tucson in 2006.

She loved to work in her garden, bake pies, and go to dances.  She was never too busy to help other people with whatever they needed.

Mary was preceded in death by her siblings, Mildred Combs and Joseph Henry Abramovitz, and her beloved husband, Keith Carlson.  She is survived directly by her daughters, Trudi Novak (and husband Lee Novak) and Deborah Whitman, her granddaughter, Tiffany Metz, and her great-granddaughter, Geneva Fergestrom.  Through marriage she is survived by 5 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic church at 10 a.m. on July 7th.