Mary Ethel Pearl was born to Harlan Robert Pearl and Mary Genevieve Cree on March 31, 1941 in Riverside, CA. Six years later her father would pass away. Mary, being so young, went to live with her unmarried aunt, Pauline Cree. This time of her life would leave a lasting impression on Mary and influence many aspects of her life.
In her teen years Mary fell in love with a young sailor and on Oct. 13, 1947 she married Jerry Lee Gillum. Mary and Jerry would have four sons together. Jerry Jr., David, Brian and Paul.
While raising her four sons Mary spent 6-9 months each year as essentially a single mom while Jerry was working on a Naval aircraft carrier in other parts of the world with only letters and the occasional phone call to stay connected.
With Jerry’s career in the Navy they traveled the nation, living in California, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada, Florida, and Maryland. She was excited to live in Hawaii but the reality of living on a Navy base and Hawaii’s plethora of insects and lizards was different than her fantasy of living on the beach. Mary and Jerry would eventually divorce 25 years later.
She did get to live in a house right on the beach on Catalina Island for a few years while working as a baker for a Christian camp. She lived there with her husband Rolland Thomas, whom she met at 42 by putting a singles ad in a Christian magazine. She and Rolland married on Feb. 9, 1984.
They would live many years in Yucaipa, CA where they were near her mother, her sister, Miriam, and her family. They would eventually retire to Hamilton, MT.
Mary loved to craft and even worked in the craft building at a large Christian camp in the mountains above Yucaipa. Her last favorite hobby was card making and shopping for card making supplies.
Mary’s life here on earth came to an end just three short weeks after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. She passed from the loving arms and care of her family into the loving arms and care of her Heavenly Father on January 30, 2026.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her three siblings. She is survived by her husband of 42 years; her four sons and their spouses: Jerry and Alicia Gillum, David and Deanne Gillum, Brian and Pam Gillum, and Paul and Lori Gillum; her two step-daughters, Carol and Bobby Bogner, and Cheryl Thomas, along with her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.