Longtime Manhattan Beach Resident Mary Louise Enockson Passes

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — Longtime Manhattan Beach resident Mary Louise [Mary Lou] Enockson passed away on January, 6, 2021. Mary Lou and her husband Karl moved to Manhattan Beach's Tree Section in 1970, where they raised their family. In the last eight years, Mary Lou and Karl became members of the Journey of Faith Church in Manhattan Beach, according to an online obituary on Legacy.com.

Mary Lou was born on March 25, 1943 to Emil Joseph and Nadine Elizabeth (Storm) Blum at St. Bernadine Hospital in San Bernardino, CA, and was raised in Wrightwood, where enjoyed a childhood in the mountains. She attended a three-room school house until eighth grade and when the high school years rolled around, she rode a bus one hour each way to Victor Valley High School (Jackrabbits) in Victorville.

Mary Lou moved to Manhattan Beach to live with her brother Richard, his wife Barbara and her beloved niece Lorraine and nephew Eric after graduation from Victor Valley High School in 1961. She briefly attended UCLA, then El Camino and eventually California State University Long Beach, graduating in 1966, becoming the first member of her family to earn a college degree. She earned her Bachelors degree and a Lifetime Teaching Credential from the State of California.

According to Legacy.com, "In 1964, she met the love of her life, Karl Enockson, at a Pi Kappa Alpha party in El Segundo. Karl graduated in 1966 from the USC School of Pharmacy and was inducted into the U.S. Army in December 1966. They maintained a long-distance relationship until they were married on December 29, 1967 with the wedding officiated by one of Karl's fraternity brothers, Rev. Warren Nyback. Warren also conducted the marriage of their daughter, Gretchen, to Richard Janson in 1998. After their wedding, Karl flew back to Fort Knox, Kentucky and Mary Lou soon followed. The Army then ordered Karl to Korea in May of 1968. For their first anniversary, Mary Lou flew to Tokyo for Christmas and the New Year and Karl flew from Seoul to meet her. They stayed at the Tokyo Hilton and took the Bullet Train to Kyoto. Mary Lou then accompanied Karl back to Seoul, In-Chon and ASCOM City for a week. She then returned back to Hawthorne to be close to Karl's parents for the remainder of his tour."

Mary Lou worked as a teacher with the Compton and Lennox school districts and took a hiatus from teaching to raise her children. She returned to teaching in 1983 with the Hawthorne School District and "retired in 2001 to become a full-time grandma, but also continued supporting students part time at the Sylvan Learning Center and St. Joseph School in Hawthorne as a reading specialist," according to Legacy.com.

Mary Lou and Karl had two children, Carl Erik and Gretchen Louise. "She devoted much of her life to them and developed lifelong friendships with other Manhattan Beach parents. While she loved her kids, she was an even more devoted Grammy to Emma Louise, Matthew Allen and William Enockson Janson. She was a fixture at their dance recitals, sporting events, drama productions, rowing meets, and the annual MBUSD Scholar Quiz events. She was beloved by all and considered Grandma to many of their friends, teachers, neighbors and extended families. Mary Lou and Karl also made it a priority to travel with their grandchildren, taking them on a trip to a dude ranch or on a cruise every year, sometimes both. These family vacations have provided endless stories and memories," according to Legacy.com.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Richard Blum and Christopher Blum, and her son Erik Enockson.

Mary Lou is survived by her husband Karl, daughter Gretchen (Rich) and grandchildren Emma, Matt, and Will. She is also survived by innumerable friends.

Due to the current medical conditions in our state, a celebration of Mary Lou's life will be planned at a later date. For now, we invite people to join an online tribute to Mary Lou at https://www.forevermissed.com/mary-lou-enockson. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Humane Society of Yuma, AZ.

You can sign the guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/yumasun. To read the full obituary on Legacy.com, visit this page.