Mary Greytak celebrates 99th birthday

LW BIRTHDAYS

by Brian Harmon

LW contributor

Mary Greytak of Mutual 6 celebrated her 99th birthday with her crazy, loving family. Mary’s birthday bash was held in Oceanside with her daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, granddaughters, great-grands and a few spouses. Although a small family, they make up for it with laughter and fun.

Born in Jeffersonville, Indiana, her first job was at the local newspaper, where she worked for five years as a reporter, office manager, daily columnist and society editor.

She married her first husband of 40 years, Claude Cox, while volunteering at the USO. He was an army sergeant who had been stationed in Alaska during the war and was sent to Indiana with a group assigned to assist during a major flood.

They married and came to his home state of California in 1945. They settled in Baldwin Park, where they raised two children, including her daughter, Dee Harmon, who lives with her husband, Brian, in Mutual 12.

After retirement, she and Claude bought a motor home and traveled throughout the United States and Canada for three years.

Over 20 years ago, Mary became a resident of Leisure World. She has been involved with many of the clubs, her favorite being the Cribbage Club, for which she was president and held other officer positions for many years. This is also where she met two of her three husbands.

She has a sharp mind and can still hold her owna in cribbage, as well as debate politics, the economy or insurance.

This exceptional woman has outlived three husbands: Claude Cox, Roger Weiber and Gary Greytak, as well as a son, Wayne, a navy chief who took her on a ride to Catalina on the nuclear submarine on which he served.