Mary Abbott Cumming

BANG BANG 

The sun went black April 8, the day Mary Abbott Cumming died. The world  got a little heavier & the ice cream less sweet. St. Peter threw open the gates  and welcomed this new angel with open arms. “Luff! Luff! Luff!” she said.  “Now, would you like to take out an ad in Cadence selling halos and wings?” 

Her husband, Robert Malcolm Cumming (Pop-Pop) was there waiting to walk  her the rest of the way home, just as they used to stroll down their driveway  along the green horse pastures to get the mail together every day. They’d met  at the University of Michigan 60 plus years earlier. It was there in Ann Arbor,  Michigan that Bang Bang fell into her lifelong love with Pop Pop and U of M  football with a steadfast and fervent devotion. 

To Mary Abbott, Aunt Rabbit or Bang Bang as we fondly called her,  everything was “her favorite thing” if it was from “you”. But if you leaned in  close and listen with your heart you could catch her sneaking off to Yesterdog,  or eating Oreo ice-cream right out of the tub, stopping at the nearest garage  sale, picking wild blueberries & raspberries, wandering through the butterfly  house at Fredrick Meijer Gardens, arm in arm with Pop-Pop sitting still for  the first time all day, hosting her best friends and all their grandchildren to  swim in Lake Michigan at Granny Camp, falling asleep to talk radio, donating her time at animal shelters, volunteering to teach children to read  and write, going to the local library for another book on tape, or hailing to the  victors at The Big House.  

Life seemed to flock around Mary. Her farm was a respite for cows, horses,  cats, dogs, birds with broken wings, sunflowers, hippopotamuses, garter  snakes, geraniums all year round, sun-kissed sons, daughters in need of some  home cooking & a flock of grandchildren learning to read or learning to ride.  Mary was a light and we all gathered round to feel her warmth with a bushel  and a peck and a hug around the neck. 

She believed everyone and everything had a purpose. To her, you were always  of use and always welcome. Nothing went to waste. She’d gather the used  coffee grounds from nearby coffee shops before they were thrown out and save them for her gardens, along with the fresh manure. Some have green  thumbs but Mary may have been green all over. She’d pour out all the love she had to make an empty glass full. She was determined to care - it was her  magic trick.  

Abra-Kadabra, zigga-zoo, maga-dawa, woo-woo-woo! She’d say, stirring the  blueberry pancake mix, because you have to add love to everything you do.

A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday April 14, 2024 @ 3:30pm at the Farm (4860 Michigan St NE , Ada MI 49301)

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Abbott Cumming, please visit our floral store.