Anna Mary Fondriest

Anna Mary Fondriest, 87, passed away peacefully in her home Tuesday, February 13, 2018.

Born September 13, 1930 in Dover, she was the daughter of the late George and Mary Loibl Liegl. She married James Earl Fondriest on June 6, 1951, and the couple purchased a farm on State Route 39, where they raised ten children, built a home, and shared fifty years of marriage prior to Earl’s passing on October 9, 2001.

Devoted to her family, Mary created a home with love, filled it with joy, and greeted all those who came to visit with a smile and a home-cooked meal. She enjoyed a quiet farm life, especially gardening, preserving the vegetables from the garden and the fruit from the orchard, and caring for the animals. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren appropriately called her "Grandma with the Kitty," as her porch always had a warm bed and food for any cat that may have needed it.

Mary was a member of Dover’s Saint Joseph Catholic Church, and enjoyed crocheting in her spare time. In her youth, she played guitar and learned to play the piano later in life. Most recently, she spent her days listening to Lawerence Welk and Johnny Cash, laughing at The Game Show Network, and "liking" all the photos her family shared on Facebook.

She will be sadly missed and cherished forever by her ten children - Carol (Jim) Gillis of Rochester, New York; Jane (Larry) Sloan of Dover; Jim (Karen) Fondriest of Massillon; Anne (Steve) Gentry of Dublin; Dan (Deb) Fondriest of Norwalk; Mike (Joan) Fondriest of Strasburg; Joe (Jean) Fondriest of Granville; John (Debbie) Fondriest of Dover; Mary Beth (Brian) Rooney of Birmingham, Alabama; and Chris (Rob) Besse of Mason.

Mary's 29 grandchildren are located across North America in Ohio, California, Colorado, New York, Michigan, Nebraska, Illinois, Alabama, Kentucky, and Toronto. Mary saw 14 of her 29 grandchildren marry and was excited for the four weddings to come this year. Her twenty-six great-grandchildren adored her and loved to visit Grandma with the Kitty to ride on her merry-go-round.

Mary's siblings - George (Birdie) Liegl of Dover; Adelia “Heidi” (Dean) Polen of Dundee; John (Cathy) Liegl of Dover; and Rose Bryner of Ogden, Utah - and her many nieces, nephews and extended family meant the world to her.

In addition to her parents and her beloved Earl, Mary was preceded in death by her father-in-law and mother-in-law, James and Sybilla Fondriest; and her dear granddaughter, Jennifer Sloan Hennon.

Family and friends are invited to call at the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory, Dover, on Sunday, February 18, 2 - 5 p.m. The Rosary will be prayed at the conclusion of the calling hours. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Saint Joseph Catholic Church by Father Jimmy Hatfield on Monday, February 19, at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be in Saint Joseph Calvary Cemetery. Following the committal, there will be a luncheon in Saint Joseph Family Life Center. To sign an online guestbook and share a fond memory of Mary, please visit the funeral home’s website.

The family suggests that contributions in Mary’s memory be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.