Mary Ann Klein

Mary (Lewallen) Klein, a beautiful soul and longtime member of the Sylvania, Ohio community, passed away on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, at Mercy Health in Perrysburg. She was 87 years old, a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend whose warmth touched everyone who knew her.

Born on a late-summer Saturday, August 20, 1938, in Toledo, Mary was the daughter of William and Juanita (Bacon) Howe. She carried the quiet strength of her roots into a life dedicated to family and service. For more than 36 years, she worked at Lake Park in Sylvania, where she approached her job with the same reliability and kindness that defined her at home. Retirement did not dull her spirit; it simply gave her more time to be present for those she loved.

Mary’s greatest joy was the time she spent with family. She cherished holidays, especially Halloween, when she delighted neighborhood children with punch and candy bars—an act of generosity that reflected her generous heart. She loved to slow dance to country music, feeling the music in her feet and smiling whenever the rhythms moved through her. She enjoyed camping, often sharing stories around a campfire and creating memories with the people who mattered most.

She was a caregiver at heart, a trait that extended beyond her immediate family to the many children whose lives she touched with her warmth and generosity. She had a soft spot for animals—her love for all creatures, big and small, was evident in the way she welcomed neighborhood animals into her world with patience and compassion.

Mary is survived by her husband, Paul Klein; her daughters, Teresa (Mark) Sodd and Anita (Nick) Liggett; Daughter in Law Jane Lewallen, grandchildren Heather, Jason, Nichole, and Brittany; great-grandchildren Rylie, Marshall and Abbey. her brother, Al (Cindy) Stokes. She was preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, Richard Lewallen; her son Kevin Lewallen; her sister Linda Laffartha; and brothers Harold, Chuck, and Barney Howe, as well as her faithful K-9 companion, CoCo.

The family will greet friends at the Reeb Funeral Home, 5712 N. Main St., Sylvania, Ohio, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. until the funeral ceremony begins at 1:00 p.m. Mary will be laid to rest at Toledo Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorials are respectfully suggested to Humane Ohio, a fitting tribute to the love she had for all creatures great and small. Those who knew Mary remember not just the events of her life, but the kindness she offered to those around her. The world is a better place because she was in it, and she will be deeply missed by family, friends, and all whose lives she touched. 

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