Mary Rawlinson Creason November 20, 1924 to March 26, 2021

"Big M", as the family called her, took off for Heaven from her home base in Spruce Creek Fly-In Community in Florida. It was a peaceful departure, made possible by her ground crew: Crew Chief Abby Garvin, Hospice, relatives and other friends and family who did what they could, all limited by the pandemic.

Mary was an active pilot for 75 years. She soloed in 1943, in Kalamazoo, and got her commercial rating in 1946 at Muskegon Airport, before Grand Haven Airport existed. She taught hundreds of students to fly, was a charter pilot, and ran an FBO at Muskegon and Grand Haven. She flew fast and low and placed in many air races across the US, Mexico, Canada, and Hawaii. She had a Presidential appointment to the Women's Advisory Committee to the FAA 1969-74. After selling her business in 1978, she worked in Lansing for the Michigan Department of Aeronautics for 12 years, where she was the first female pilot and worked in administration on safety and education. She was chairwoman of the Michigan Aeronautics Commission 1991-92. In 1992 , she and other pilots founded the Michigan Aviation Education Foundation, which grants scholarships to students interested in a career in aviation. In 1966, she earned an Airline Transport Rating, and her ultimate dream was to become the first woman pilot for a US airline. By 1984, however, when the first woman was promoted to captain, she was too old. We believe that after that, whenever she was flying commercially on an airline and a female pilot announced the flight crew, she would smile, and know that she had a part in their success. She was also very involved in introducing aviation to young people, and she did this with ACE camps at Grand Haven Airport, which many local kids attended over the years, Boyne Mountain Air Academy, and her work at Michigan Aeronautics.

Mary was the last of 7 kids, raised by her mother, Nora Belle Rawlinson, on a school teacher's salary during the Depression, all of whom graduated from college and were exceptional people. Three were pilots, and her sister Mabel was unfortunately one of 38 WASP's to die during WW II. In 1944, she earned a BS from Western Michigan, and in 1996 she was awarded their Distinguished Alumna Award. Mom raised 4 kids in Grand Haven: Kennard (Wendy), Yvonne, Steve (Aleta) and Paul. She had seven grandchildren: Jamie, Nick, Jonas, Kate, Eric, Kevin and Sally. Mary is survived by her sister-in law and good friend Virginia Rawlinson, who will be 100 this year.

Mary and her husband Bill enjoyed their time in Spruce Creek Fly-In Community and their many friends there. A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, June 5, 2021, at Grand Haven Memorial Airport, in Grand Haven, Michigan, 49417, at 2 pm.