October 10, 2021, Mary Crutchfield Handelsman passed away by a breakthrough case of COVID‐19 and pneumonia. At the age of 86 years old, Mary passed away peacefully amongst her friends at the Cove, Bellevue, Idaho. Mary was born June 21, 1935 to Verna Mae, a university professor, and Jody B. Crutchfield, a highway construction engineer and WWII veteran. They built a home and raised Mary, their only child, in the town of Baird, Texas. Mary's maternal grandfather, Robert Lee Edwards, born in 1894, served as Sheriff of Callahan County, Texas. Robert's twin sister, Eula Edwards, died in childhood. The small community in western Callahan County, known as Eula, was named in her memory. Mary‐ a fifth‐generation Texan and a daughter of the Texas Republic‐ was proud to be a Texan.

1953, second in her class, lettering in Drama, Mary graduated from Breckenridge High School. Had she not gotten a 'C' in typing, she would have graduated at the top of her class. She claimed, "I just don't do typing." Mary longed for the 'practice' kisses she took and had while in high school. 1956, she earned a degree in education from the University of Denver with post‐graduate work at Baylor University‐Waco. That same year, she married, screenwriter, Norman Handelsman. Ambitious, they moved to Los Angeles where they pursued careers in education and the movie industry. Together, 1965, they brought Summer Children to the screen, produced by Jamie Robinette with cinematography by Oscar‐winning, Vilmos Zsigmond, a cult neo‐noir film about the dark‐class‐conflicts between the burgeoning beatnik‐yachting‐privileged‐summer‐children of Los Angeles and the underprivileged‐native‐working‐ class of Catalina Island. Mary's first‐love, though, was education. She went on to earn a Doctorate in Education from the University of Southern California (USC).

For nearly forty years she educated hundreds of first through third grade Beverley Hills children. Strict, she was proud of her efforts to establish a healthy direction and education for her surrogates. Numerous times, she was recognized for her teaching‐skills. As newly‐minted‐intellectuals, the two settled into a more comfortable life‐style, where Mary taught, speculated and purchased local real estate, doused for water and sought her doctorate degree while Norman became a UCLA librarian and continued to write musicals, poetry and screen plays. October 1984, Norman passed away at the age of 59. October 1990, Mary's beloved father, Jody B. Crutchfield, passed away at the age of 80. July 2009, Mary's beloved mother, Verna Mae Edwards Crutchfield, passed away at the age of 94.

The year 1990, at age 55, Mary met a prominent Beverley Hills psychiatrist, Dr. Vadim Kondratief. By the year 2000, lives inextricably intertwined, they moved to Ketchum, Idaho where they indulged each other's last wishes of life. Mary viewed the town of Ketchum and its people as her classroom of students. Daily, she held court at the most popular Ketchum watering holes where she'd bring both locals and tourists alike into a discussion. She'd correct grammar, tell a story or two, give a lesson or two then read palms. She bristled when called "Teach." Always, she had to know where one was from and what one did. "This is what we do in Texas," she said. She'd say, daily, "That's right, you're not from Texas but Texas wants you anyway!" December 2020, Dr. Vadim Kondratief passed away at the age of 91. Missing Vadim, October 2021, Mary Crutchfield Handelsman passed away at the age of 86.

Close to Vadim, part of Mary's ashes will be laid to rest, here, in Ketchum at the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Sun Valley, columbarium. The rest of Mary's ashes will be laid to rest with her beloved mother, Verna Mae, and father, Jody, at the Ross Cemetery, Baird, Texas. Graveside services will be held November 16th, 10 am, at the Ross Cemetery in Baird.

Irrepressibly, she carried the legacy of her family heritage‐ a crest of pride and purpose‐ into modern times. May Mary Crutchfield Handelsman rest in Peace.