Mary Alice Bender

Mary Alice Bender, 75, of Astoria, died Friday, Jan. 31, 2013, in Astoria.

She was born Sept. 21, 1937, in Colcord, Okla., to LeRoy and Leona (Morris) Burk.

She was attended schools in Oklahoma.

In January 1956, she married Donald Lee Bender. He died June 20, 2009.

Mrs. Bender worked in day care. She then owned and operated her own cleaning business. She cleaned private homes for many people, and took pride in her work.

She was a member of the Logan Road Chapel for 40-plus years.

Family members said if she wasn’t giving someone words of wisdom, then she was praying for them. Her hobbies included reading her Bible and daily devotions, and donating to the Astoria Rescue Mission. She was an avid fitness walker, and participated in the three-day/60-mile walk for breast cancer.

She is survived by two sons and a daughter-in-law, Mark and Jill Bender of Vancouver, Wash., and Mike Bender of Astoria; three grandchildren, Elizabeth Bender and her fiance, Logan Dembo, Ahmed Raslan and Rylan Bender, all of Vancouver; a brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Pat Bender of Stockton, Calif.; and three sisters and a brother-in-law, Virginia Cochnauer of Newalla, Okla., Lena Garoutte of Moore, Okla., and Jean and Jerome Webb of Homewood, Ill.

She was preceded in death by a daughter, Donna Leann Bender, in 2003.

A memorial will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 9, at the Logan Road Chapel, 90571 Logan Road. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall.

A graveside service will take place at 1 p.m. Monday, Feb. 11, at Fort Stevens Military Cemetery in Hammond.

Memorial contributions may be given to the Astoria Rescue Mission, 62 W. Bond St., Astoria, OR 97103.

Caldwell’s Luce-Layton Mortuary in Astoria is in charge of the arrangements. An online guest book may be signed at www.caldwellsmortuary.com