Wyoming Arts Council

In memoriam: Mary L. Maynard

Featured News | September 21, 2015

---

We are saddaned to hear about the death of Mary L. Maynard of Laramie. She was a long-time member of the Wyoming Arts Council artist roster and a recipient of folk arts mentorship grants. Mary was featured in a WAC video, “Wyoming Folks: Folk Arts Encounters in the Cowboy State.” Here’s her obituary which appeared in the Laramie Boomerang: 

Mary L. Maynard was born Mary Louise Jacobson on July 29, 1944, in Buffalo. She died Monday, Sept. 14, at her home in Laramie.

She was the seventh of nine children, and she had a wealth of stories about growing up a farm girl in northeastern Wyoming.

Mary was a recognized Wyoming artist, who crocheted, knitted, sewed, quilted and taught herself to tat lace right-handed, even though she was left-handed. She created several original designs, wrote and published two books on tatting, and edited and published another. She taught many people the art and took apprentices through the Wyoming Arts Council.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Lydia Huntsman Jacobson and Herman F. “Swede” Jacobson; brother Jimmy Jo Jacobson; and brotherin- law Carl Larson. She was married three times, surviving all three exes.

She is survived by her sisters, Gladys Larson, Lois West (Jim), Anna Buckingham (John) and Carol Moeller (Tom); brothers, Charlie Jacobson (Jo), Dave Jacobson (Dorinda) and Jake Jacobson (Sue); niece Justine Wilson (Mark); son Vance Horton; daughter Vandy Jones (Nick); grandsons Alex and Reece Jones; and a wealth of friends.

A celebration of life will be at a later date in the spring. Go to www.montgomerystryker.com to send condolences or to sign the online guestbook.

---