Mary Lou Kronke lived a full and beautiful life, one powered by grit, grace, and just the right amount of New York attitude. Married to the love of her life, Charlie, for 33 years, though he passed before her, their partnership remained one of her proudest joys. They spent their time together raising four daughters, moving across country and building a life of love, laughter and adventure.

She was cherished deeply by her daughters Aileen (Preston), Holcomb, Jennifer (Donald McKinney) Tankersley, Patricia (Gregory) Cochran, and Suzanne (Michael) Rohlfs, who will forever carry her strength and spirit. Her grandchildren, Catherine (Dallas) Mosley, Charles Cochran, Molly Cochran, Caroline Rohlfs, and Nora Rohlfs, and her great‑grandchildren, Madisyn Hardy, Kieran Swisher and Benjamin Mosley, who will miss her stories, her hugs, and her love.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Catherine Bruchsel, and her sister, Patricia Peet, no doubt all waiting to greet her with open arms.

A proud New Yorker and even prouder Irishwoman, Mary Lou graduated from St. Clare’s Nursing School and earned her BSN from Columbia University before embarking on a 50‑year nursing career. She worked in nearly every corner of the profession, collecting friends, memories, and a few unbelievable stories along the way. She was the kind of nurse people remembered, the one who made you feel safe, seen, and cared for.

Mary Lou taught her family how to show up for each other, how to love without conditions, and how to find humor even on the hard days. Her presence was a gift, her laugh unforgettable, and her absence will be felt deeply. She leaves behind a legacy of compassion, humor, and resilience.

Gifts in her honor can be made to support the Skilled Nursing Care and Rehabilitation Fund at Maple Knoll Village in Springdale, Ohio or Ohio Living Home Health & Hospice.

Services will be held in New York.

We will also celebrate Mary Lou with mass and a reception at Maple Knoll Village in Sprindgale, Ohio on May 16, 2026. More details to come.