Mary Lou R. Hannon

Mary Lou Hannon – loving wife, nurturing mother, and endearing grandmother – passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her husband and children on Thursday, August 27th, 2020. She was taken from this world after a sudden and swift battle with cancer.

Mary Lou was born in Ashland, Pennsylvania to the late Joseph Biscoe, and Edith Biscoe. She was raised in the small town of Gilberton, alongside her nine brothers and sisters. From her earliest days as a child until her last days on this Earth, Mary Lou loved her hometown and the community she grew up in. She was the first female and longest serving mayor in Gilberton Borough history, but her dedication to and love for her community did not start or end with her career in politics. Mary Lou was also a lifelong member of the Gilberton Methodist Church, a former cheerleading coach and football booster club leader, as well as a nurse and caretaker to elderly throughout the community and local nursing homes.

She was a small town girl, who believed in staying true to her upbringing and never shying away from a challenge. She was loyal to friends, protective of family, courageously assertive, and full of conviction. She liked to recall a favorite quote: "You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life." Mary Lou believed that very few things could be compared to the importance of standing up for what you believe in.

Perhaps the one thing that Mary Lou held above everything else was her family. And she believed that her role as a wife and a

mother was to be the glue that held everyone together. That translated into a loving woman who insisted on a clean and organized household, well-cooked meals for her husband and children, family parties and events planned out in great detail, and an insistence on loyalty and protectiveness toward one another. May we, Mary Lou’s family, remember her strength as we learn to live and face the challenges of life without her guiding presence.

Mary Lou is survived by her husband of nearly forty-two years, William ("Bill") Hannon; her oldest son, William Hannon, Jr. ("BJ") and wife, Carla; her son Jonathan Hannon and wife, Andrea; her son Joshua Hannon; her daughter Cassandra and husband, Robert Fisher; and her extraordinary grandchildren: Sierra, Alyssa, Kyerra, and Declan Hannon; Alessandra Fisher; and Alex Brzoska.

A service will be held at the Gilberton Methodist Church on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020. Friends and family are welcome to visit between 5pm and 9pm. There will be a short church service beginning at 5:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family is accepting donations for a scholarship fund in the memory of Mary Lou.

The family would like to thank David D. Jarrett Funeral Home for their gracious help during this difficult time. Please visit www.jarrettfuneralhome.com for more information.

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