Legacy of a Life Well-Lived (12/8/1921 – 8/21/2019)
Driven to discover and develop her breadth of talents, Mary B. Leutloff is remembered as a well-loved and remarkable woman who was devoted to her family and the causes she cared about. Self-made in an era where few women deviated from the pressures of traditional gender roles, Mary was determined to rise from her humble beginnings, achieve success, serve others, and spread joy.
Mary’s strong will and resilience were evident from a young age. As a child growing up on a Dutch farm in Pennsylvania, she displayed minimal interest in milking the cows or tending to the fields, and quickly set her sights beyond the gates of the rural farmyard. While many fellow students left the one-room schoolhouse after eighth grade, concluding their formal education, Mary not only completed high school but continued on to pursue nursing studies, graduating at the top of her class.
She embarked on a fulfilling career, becoming an operating room nursing supervisor in hospitals in New York City and Texas. In 1950, she was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the United States Air Force, bypassing the requisite military basic training in recognition of her extensive nursing experience. She initially served as a base hospital nurse, then quickly became a flight nurse, caring for wounded soldiers during medical evacuations from battlefields in Korea, Japan, Guam, Wake, and Hawaii. Mary’s dedicated service was not without toll; she suffered hearing loss due to the frequency of her flights. Upon receiving corrective surgery from Howard P. House, MD, she was able to hear unassisted until her seventies, when she began using hearing aids. In 1954, she was honorably discharged from the Air Force and married her husband, Wayne E. Leutloff. Wayne’s career as an aeronautical engineer took them through many states before they ultimately settled happily in Santa Maria, California.
While Mary’s unstoppable and, at times, even obstinate character enabled her to embrace challenges, perhaps of equal importance was her ability to find mirth in the smallest of things. Her sense of humor was known to adopt an artfully mischievous air. Her family recalls one such instance where she completed her take-home geology exam in French, requiring the instructor to have the answers translated before grading the test.
Mary embodied an ethos of lifelong learning and intellectual curiosity, enthusiastically exploring her love for music, languages, and literature. An avid pianist and vocalist from childhood, Mary sang in an industrial choir and performed at weddings. She continued taking courses that piqued her interest throughout adulthood and earned an Associate of Arts degree in Language Arts in 1976. She became an ardent ambassador of the arts and supporter of local organizations such as the Santa Maria Philharmonic Society.
Poet and Novelist Ocean Vuong contemplated what it means to “live a life worthy of your breaths.” Perhaps we should observe the example of individuals such as Mary Leutloff, whose 97 years of life were shaped by beauty, bravery, selflessness, and passion. Her spirit lives on through her generosity. Her gifts invigorate the research, education, and humanitarian efforts at the House Institute today, as well as the many other causes to which she gave. This legacy of service and philanthropy is a banner we are honored to carry that will positively impact the lives of countless people for years to come.