April 1, 1938 – March 31, 2025
Mary Hanley Black was born the only child of Mary Isabell Johnson and John Edward Hanley on April 1, 1938, in Moab. She died at home in her sleep on March 31, 2025, just one day shy of her 87th birthday.
Mary’s mother died about a month after her birth and she was raised by her grandparents, Milton and Ruth Johnson, in a big mixed family of 17 children. She was treated as a younger sibling. They lived in a little adobe home in Moab on the corner of 400 East and 100 North. Later in life, she connected with her father, step-mother and half-sister in Nebraska.
She married Neil Anthon Black on December 15, 1954, in the Manti, Utah, Temple. She was 16 years old—Neil would say he robbed the cradle, but she would say they grew up together. Her family would joke that she was so spoiled that he would bring her back within three weeks. She would say it was a LONG three weeks, lasting almost 70 years. They were married for 66 years until Neil’s passing. However, she did not stop counting years at his passing.
The couple had six children and lived in Moab and Monticello. Mary had a variety of jobs and talents. She and Neil ran the flour mill in Monticello. She was an expert cake decorator and caterer who made wedding cakes and catered many weddings in Monticello and Moab, including her children’s weddings. She opened a bakery in Moab in the 1980s.
Mary was an avid reader, loved to quilt, and was an exceptional cook. She made and sold homemade chocolates. She made many quilts for many weddings and other gifts. Her greatest joy was gardening. She worked many hours in the garden to make the red blow sand fertile for almost any plant, sharing plants, produce and flowers from her garden often.
She was active in the LDS Church, which was very important to her. She served as a Relief Society president, a temple worker, and made meals for others including families, events and service projects. She helped care for elderly family and friends. She tried to find some way to do service every day.
Mary was the biggest fan of her children. She cheered on her children in their sports and activities, traveling all over the state of Utah for football, wrestling and other activities. She participated as much as possible in her grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s activities. She loved family history and sought out her paternal family information. With the help of her son, she got that information prepared and had their temple work completed. She experienced a lot of changing times in her life, seeing her city go from a very rural small town in the Depression era to seeing social media in an ever-changing Moab.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her oldest son, Andy, and his wife, Gaylene. She is survived by her children, Diana Adams, Steven and Mandy Black, Mike and Sharon Black, Doug and Vicky Black, and Geneil Young; as well as by her 21 grandchildren and their spouses and 23 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, April 7 at 1:30 p.m. with a viewing one hour prior at the Moab LDS Stake Center (701 E Locust Lane). Interment will follow at Grand Valley Cemetery in Moab.
We would like to thank the many extended family caregivers: in-home caregivers, the hospital and the care center for the short time she was there, as well as her ward family and all who helped her so much.
Family and friends are invited to share tributes online at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com
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