Mary Lou Daniel
May 30, 2023
Mary Lou (Strever) Daniel, 87, passed away on May 30, 2023 at her home in Jacksonville, Florida. One of
eight children, she was born in Chicago Heights, IL to Merwin and Mary Strever and was raised on a farm
in McHenry, Illinois. Growing up during the depression and during the war years, she and her siblings
helped on the farm and attended their first 8 grades of school in a one-room school house. After
graduating from high school, she went on to college at Southwest Missouri State, where she played
Division One basketball. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Education, and got her first
teaching job at Bemidji High in Bemidji, MN, where she taught physical education. There she also met
her future husband, Karl (Fred) Daniel. They married in 1960 and moved briefly to Springfield, MO,
eventually settling in Tallahassee, Florida. There they raised three daughters and Mary Lou found her
calling in the ministry. For 25 years, she helped people find healing and transform their lives through
prayer. She was a regular visitor in the county jail and welcomed those transitioning out of the system
into her home for meals and fellowship. In 1987, she and Fred relocated to Jacksonville, FL. After a
health crisis left her with limited mobility, Mary Lou retired from her ministry work and focused her
attention on her rehabilitation and her grandchildren, and in doing so, became an inspiration to
everyone who came in contact with her. Her determination, positivity, and joy were infectious – and
the fact that she could maintain this attitude and continue to smile, despite the setbacks, encouraged
her friends and family to emulate her. She loved to laugh, had an open heart for everyone, told it like it
was, and never played favorites. She loved to sing and attend church, rarely missing a service. A Chicago
Cubs fan from girlhood, she watched every game, and during football season, she cheered on the
Jaguars and the Seminoles with equal gusto. Throughout her life, she touched the lives of so many in
ways that can’t be articulated in words. Her light still shines in each one of them.
Mary Lou is survived by three daughters, Nancy Hecker and Jennifer Norton of Jacksonville and Brenda
Dawes of Tallahassee, three grandchildren, Sam Hecker, Wesley Norton, and Daniel Norton, and three
siblings, Sue Bennett, Sara Green, and Elizabeth Deaton. Her husband, Karl (Fred) Daniel, brothers John
and Bill Strever and sisters Joanne Krelle and Harriet Strever precede her in death.
Friends may send contributions to The Michael J Fox Foundation (www.michaeljfox.org), The Lupus Foundation (www.lupus.org) or Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, Jacksonville, FL.
Crevasse's Simple Cremation is honored to serve the Daniel family.
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My mother, who knew Mary Lou long before we did, characterized her as a “fine woman”. This was high praise indeed! We will miss seeing her smiling face but will always remember her!