Obituary for Mary Catherine Lord Mary Catherine Lord was born on October 19, 1923 and passed away December 18, 2018. She was a life-long resident of Middletown, graduating from Middletown High School in 1941. The daughter of Arthur E. Lord and Mary (Bell) Lord.
She was preceded in death by her three brothers, Seymour Clark Lord, Roy Lord and Thomas John Lord. She is survived by her nieces and nephews, Jeanne Lord, Deborah Lord Bennett, Sara Lord, Seymour Lord, Thomas A. Lord, Frances Lord and William Lord and cousins Steve Sorg and Lisa Sorg Friedman. Mary is also survived by her godson James Sherron, goddaughter Jennifer Sherron Hiteshue, her longtime legal secretary and friend Kathryn Proctor and loyal caretaker Freda Tester.
Mary Lord was just one of five women to receive her law degree from the Ohio State University College of Law in 1951, in a class with more than 200 men. She was the second woman to practice law in Middletown and the only woman attorney in Butler County for many years. Mary Lord was a proud Middie and remained a dedicated fan of Middletown High School athletics, she held season tickets for at least six decades.
She earned her bachelor’s degree from Otterbein College in 1945 and taught sixth grade in Lebanon City Schools for three years prior to entering law school. Lord retired from active law practice in 2011 at the age of 88, after 60 years of practice. She had outlived many of her clients and finally resigned herself to the fact that “you can’t work forever” Her secretary of 38 years, Kathryn Proctor, still assisted her long-time friend until her death.
She dreamed of playing golf, but she can’t remember the last time she picked up a golf club. She claimed she gave Mary Alice Mack, a three-time women’s city golf champion, lessons until Mack began to continually beat her. Work and community involvement made Lord a Middletown treasure.
She was elected the first woman member of the Middletown City Commission in 1963 and served two at-large terms. She was honored in 1967 as the Outstanding Woman of the Year by the Middletown Business and Professional Women. In 1977 she was named “Executive of the Year” by the Middletown Chapter of the National Secretaries Association.
She was citizen of the year at All American Weekend in the 1980s, and was named the “Harry S. Truman Democrat of the Year” by the Butler County Democratic Party. Also, Soroptimist International recognized her as an outstanding Soroptimist. More recently she received the inaugural Honorable George H. Elliot Distinguished Community Service Award, recognizing her 60 years of leadership in the legal profession.
It was given by the Mid-Miami Valley Bar Association formerly known as the Middletown Bar Association. She was also presented the James Irwin Professionalism award by the Butler County Bar Association in March 2018. Mary served on the Miami University Board of Trustees from 1972-1981 and was a founding member of the Friends of the Sorg Opera Company.
She was a member of the Faith United New Life Church. Funeral services will be held Saturday December 29, at 11:00 am at Breitenbach Anderson Funeral Home with Reverend Michael Bailey officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00-11:00 am Saturday at the funeral home.
Burial will be in Woodside Cemetery. Please visit www. breitenbach-anderson.com to share a memory or condolence.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Mary Catherine Lord please visit our Sympathy Store. Upcoming Events Visitation , DEC 29.
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Breitenbach Anderson Funeral Home 517 S. Sutphin Street Middletown, OH, US, 45044 Order Flowers for the Visitation Hand delivery before Mary’s Visitation begins. Funeral Ceremony , DEC 29. 11:00 AM Breitenbach Anderson Funeral Home 517 S. Sutphin Street Middletown, OH, US, 45044 Order Flowers for the Funeral Ceremony Hand delivery before Mary’s Funeral Ceremony begins.
Cemetery Details Woodside Cemetery 1401 S. Woodside Blvd.
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