Mary Lynne Barris

We lost Mary Lynne Barris on March 30, 2025. She was born in Kankakee, Illinois. She was raised in in the north Chicago neighborhood, Edgewood, by her loving parents Aaron Leon “Bud” and Alpha Rose (nee Allen) Marcus. She graduated from Wildwood Elementary School, Taft High School, and from Western Illinois University (WIU).

Mary was an extremely loving and friendly extroverted person whom everyone liked. She loved animals and worked for their benefit. She was a foster mother for lost or stray animals and supported several animal organizations.

She moved to Irvine, California and worked as a technical writer. She wrote user software manuals for Sperry Univac (now known as Unisys) and Beckman Instruments. When she moved to Redlands with her husband, John O’Neal, she began work as an adjunct instructor/professor in the computer technology/science department at Riverside Community College She stayed there until retirement.

Mary exhibited her natural talents as an interior designer and landscaper when we moved into our newly built Redlands house. She chose the paint, the carpeting and tile, the wallpaper, and added shelves to display items among other things. She worked very hard to build us a home where we could entertain friends and family on holidays and other special events, and yet be very comfortable living in it.

Her landscaping designs were magnificent. She could’ve been a landscape architect. She knew plants and flowers like an encyclopedia! She loved her rose garden.

Mary was preceded in her death by her parents and her younger brother Joseph Melvin “Jack” Marcus. She is survived by many siblings, nieces and nephews, grand nieces and nephews, in-laws, many friends and her husband, John.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you please donate to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, 5001 Angel Canyon Rd., Kanab, UT  84741