Mary Esther Moulton spent the first eighteen years of her life in the woods and on the lakes of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
She wasn’t as ladylike as her mother would’ve wished, opting instead to be an accomplished swimmer, canoeist, ice skater and skier. She, her brother and best friend, and their U. P. gang organized progressive dinners, swam across Lake Michigamme, had weekly bridge parties, rode sleds pulled behind Model T’s, skied the Suicide Hill jump, and crept up on Al Capone’s hideout.
She graduated from the Northwestern University Medill School of Journalism in 1939 and was the first woman sports editor for the Daily Northwestern. After graduation she worked at Chicago’s WLS radio, which hosted the National Barn Dance with live broadcasts by Gene Autry and “Little Georgie Gobel”. Mary Esther ended her journalism career as editor of Collector’s News.
Mary Esther had many adventures, which included accompanying her husband, Bill, in his assignment as UPI White House Correspondent during the Truman administration. She and Bill were the founding managers of radio station KDEC in Decorah. She was a professional Girl Scout and volunteer troop leader in Dubuque, and she contributed to the development of Camp Little Cloud. She planted hundreds of trees, pitched umpteen tents, built countless campfires and taught many girls the joy of life in the outdoors.
Although she probably did not invent s’mores, banana boats, or tinfoil dinners, her children and the Girl Scout leaders that she trained, credit her with the introduction. Mary Esther’s natural curiosity extended to geology, astronomy, botany, ornithology, and marine biology. She shared these interests with any child in her presence and raised her children to enjoy and respect the natural world. She hiked the Arizona wilderness into her late eighties, and was a tireless bird watcher. Her birding life list included over 300 species. She had an uncanny ability to attract goldfinches and hummingbirds to her feeders. As a lifelong learner, she loved to travel, meet new people and host foreign exchange students. Her PEO membership provided true friends wherever she moved. Mary Esther was an eternal optimist and always found something positive to say in dire circumstances. This quality was balanced with keen observations, muttered in a barely audible voice, which “called a spade a spade.”
Mary Esther fostered a rich life for her children -- Steve Croker, Barbara Bean and Ginny Naso, and for her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Mary Esther died on July 2nd in Iowa City.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bill in 2011, daughter Barbara in 2006, and brother Bill in 2010.
The family wishes to thank Comfort Keepers, Bickford Cottage CNA’s, the UIHC staff of 6RCEast and Palliative Care, Iowa City Hospice and the staff of Briarwood for their compassionate care in keeping Mary Esther safe and comfortable.
http://lensingfuneral.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=137659#/obituaryInfo
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