Mary Ann passed away peacefully at home in the arms of her loving husband, Gerald (Jerry) Hanson.

She lived a full and joyful life – including 54 years of marriage, seven children and 11 grandchildren who remember and honor her unwavering love of family, strength of will and faith. Mary Ann was an incredibly talented artist with a love of travel, cooking, shopping, music, theater, reading and the endless pursuit of knowledge. She loved spending time with friends made through Welcome Wagon, church, bowling league, spiritual book club, work and anywhere else she could make a special personal connection. As a mother of seven children, most of her time was dedicated to building a loving home where she established a legacy of tradition and love for family that will live on forever in the hearts of her children and grandchildren. Over the years, Mary Ann donated her time and resources to various causes including Meals on Wheels, her church through various ministries, and The Covenant House, among others. She was an active member of St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church for more than 30 years.

Mary Ann was born and raised in Rochester, NY to the late Harold Rufus East and Ann Denise East. She was predeceased by brothers Hank, Jim and Bill. Once most of her children were grown, she earned a degree in computer programming from Wake Technical Community College and worked at North Carolina Electric Membership Cooperative as a Load Forecaster.

She is survived by her son Carl Hanson (Cheree), daughter Eileen Ashby (Dave), daughter Maureen O’Neal (Alan), daughter Laura Byrd (Greg), daughter Julia Roeseberg (Ron), daughter Kathleen Hanson, daughter Coleen Smith (Aaron), and grandchildren Megan, Patrick, Veronica, Dustin, “Angel” Sherilyn, Nicollette, Shane, Nickolaus, Sabrina, Annabelle and Dax.

The family will receive friends 7:00pm to 9:00pm Friday, May 8, 2015 at Renaissance Funeral Home, 7615 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27615. A mass celebrating Mary Ann’s life will be held Saturday, May 9, at 1pm at Saint Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church, 5801 Falls of Neuse Road, Raleigh, NC, where family will also receive friends at noon preceding the mass. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Covenant House, 461 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10001, 800-388-3888, https://www.covenanthouse.org. Condolences: rfhr.com