ELMA "SUE" LUNA ST. MARY ~ Class of 1956
September 9, 1937 - September 6, 2010



Our beloved, Elma "Sue" Luna St. Mary, passed away on Monday, September 6th at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma. She was a devoted and generous mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend.

Sue was born on September 9th, 1937 in Memphis, TN to Elmer Vincent Luna (d. 7/15/59) and Hylda Irene McGee (d. 12/27/98). When she was a young girl her family moved to Richland, where she grew up, graduated from Columbia High School in 1956, and attended college.

In 1956, Sue met and married Benny Anderson with whom she had four children. She later remarried George St. Mary and moved to San Diego. Throughout her life, Sue worked in clerical positions for Hanford, San Diego County, and the Puyallup Police Department. She found her work and service to be extremely rewarding, while she also found great enjoyment and friendship in the company of her coworkers. Similarly, her passion for her favorite hobbies - sewing, quilting and cooking - played an important part in her life, as she loved sharing her passion by making quilts and blankets for all of her family and friends. In all her endeavors, Sue loved people and companionship. Her compassion and deep affection for her family, friends, and those she met along the way will be most remembered, as kindness and generosity were the emblems of her character and presence.

Sue's life was not without struggles. She battled many health problems over the years while coping with insufferable pain. But through her deep, abiding, and constant faith as a devout Lutheran, Sue was able to find solace. This, combined with her vast network of family, friends and her belief in the goodness of people, kept her steady in the face of enormous adversity.

Sue was preceded in death by her parents and two siblings, her sister Martha Ann Worby (d. 5/31/05) and her brother John Vincent Luna ('57) (d. 12/31/80). She is survived by her children: Cheryl (Orlando) Apodaca, Drue Luna, Eileen (John) Poupore, and Greg (Kathy) Anderson; her grandchildren: Sarah (Jason) Inks, Joey and Jourdain Poupore; her great-grandchild, Aria Luna Weaver-Inks; and her nephew Michael Worby, along with his two children Mitchell and Rachael Worby.

Services for Sue will be held at 1pm on Saturday, September 18th, 2010 at Grace Lutheran Church, 525 S. Division Street, Buckley, WA 98321. Donations to Lutheran Community Services Northwest. Published in News Tribune (Tacoma) on September 9, 2010