Fund Mary Tuel's Urgent Home Care Needs

As friends of Mary Tuel, we send a message to the Vashon community that Mary needs your help. To all who have known Mary Tuel, to all who value Mary’s gifts of music, humor, and insightful writing, and to those who value the kind of community Mary helped create on Vashon, we ask your financial help to fund one or two months of home health care visits to Mary’s home. Mary can no longer live alone in her house and needs care at home until she can move into assisted living. Mary, who has given so much to our community now needs support.

Vashon Islanders and others in far-flung parts of the globe have had their lives enriched by Mary Tuel’s songs that captured Island Life and by her long-running column in the Loop, The Spiritual Smart Aleck, which offered flippant but oh-so-true commentary on life. Over the years, beginning with her contributions to the local drama scene up to her singing recently in the Episcopal Church, Mary’s creative presence has helped form our vibrant Vashon community.

After living for decades in the same Vashon house she once shared with Rick and their children, Mary is now facing serious life changes. Falls injured her back and forced her to use a walker and wheelchair. Falls again gave her a broken arm, limiting use of one hand, while the other hand is compromised by a bad shoulder. Mary has accepted the reality that she can no longer safely live in her house. She is ready to pack up her memories and find a new home in an assisted living facility where she will not be alone in case of another fall.

The problem is that Mary needs care now, while she is finding assisted living and readying her house for sale.. Although some help has come her way, Mary desperately needs to pay for care-givers for the weeks to come until she can sell her house. A donation of $150 will pay for a care giver for one day. In recognition of Mary’s gifts to our community, please help Mary manage to stay afloat until she finds a new, safe home. Please contribute what you can.

With hope for Mary’s new future,

Kit Bean and other friends of Mary Tuel