Mary was born September 18, 1924 in Ozark, Franklin County, Arkansas.  She was the daughter of John Ewing CARR and Nancy Luetta DRAGOO.  The CARR family moved to California in 1939.  

Mary married Wilfred Houston "Buddy" RICE on March 28, 1942 in Verdi Township (Reno), Washoe County, Nevada.  Buddy was the son of Charley RICE and Mamie rosetta LEE.  Mary and Buddy had three children:  Dorothy Lee, Charles Jr. and Danny Houston RICE.  Mary and Buddy and the children lived mostly in Modesto, California and surrounding areas except for a year or so in the 1950s in Arizona.  Mary and Buddy divorced.

Mary married Louis Lynn ERVIN about 1968. He was born 25 Jan 1907 in Oklahoma.  He was the son of Thomas Louis ERVIN and Emma M. SMITH.  Lynn died 26 Jan 1995 in San Joaquin County, California.  They were divorced at the time of his death, but Mary retained her name of ERVIN.

She was active in the Royal Neighbors of America in Modesto and traveled to several of their anniversary celebrations.  Mary also loved to play Bingo and travel.

On the Memorial Day weekend, she called her twin sisters to come right away.  Her words were "It's time!"

It was time definitely time to go to the hospital. The diagnosis in the Memorial Hospital emergency room was pneumonia.  After two weeks of hospitalization, she was diagnosed with malignant cancer.    She was moved to English Oaks for rehabilitation and physical therapy. She was only home a few days, when she returned to the hospital and then transferred to the Alexander Cohen Hospice House in Hughson, California. 

Her twin sisters and her grandson Mike Powell maintained a continual vigil at her bedside from May 23 to July 22.  Her sister Nadine was recuperating from surgery, but came to Modesto to the hospital.  LeeRoy and Ann Carr of Chowchilla visited her there also. 

Mary passed away on July 22, 2008 about 7 p.m.  She was buried in the Chowchilla Cemetery on August 5th.  The memorial service followed on Saturday, August 9, 2008 at the Alexander Cohen Hospice House Chapel.