Mary Katherine (Lent) Flucke was born in Saginaw, Michigan, on November 9, 1933, the daughter of Albert John Lent and Elsie (Wilber) Lent. Mary graduated from Smith College in Northampton, MA, in 1955 with cum laude distinction and an honors thesis in government. As a junior at Smith, she studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, after spending a month in Paris, France. Mary was a fluent French speaker.
After graduation, she moved to New York City to work at the Macy’s Corporation, moving up the corporate ranks to work in retailing and international buying. In New York, Mary was active in the Republican Ladies group and the Smith Club of New York, and volunteered to teach English at her church.
In 1962, she married Robert A. Flucke, also from Saginaw, and returned to Michigan and spent the remainder of her working life running her husband’s dental office in Three Rivers, Michigan. She served on the Board of Education, bank board, county welfare board, county nursing home board, tax investment board, and AAUW board.
Dr. Bob and Mary were dedicated to their dental patients and those who helped them care for their patients in Three Rivers. During breaks from the dental work and later in their retirement years, they traveled the world together.
Mary passed away in her retirement home in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, on September 1, 2024. She leaves her devoted husband Bob of 62 years, a wide circle of friends in Michigan and Florida, and her cousins in Michigan, Maryland, California, Washington, and Maine who have cherished her love all their lives.
Family and friends will remember Mary at La Posada Senior Living, 3400 Masterpiece Way, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, at the Clubhouse Building, La Sala Grande Room, on Wednesday, October 2, at 1:30 PM. All are welcome.
Memorial donations may be made in honor of Mary K. Flucke to the Three Rivers Area Community Foundation (TRACF) at P.O. Box 453, Three Rivers, MI, 49093, or online at www.threeriversfoundation.com/donate, or to the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County at 601 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth Beach, FL, 33460 (please note donation is in memory of Mary K. Flucke); online at palmbeachculture.com/support; or by calling the Development Department at 561-471-2901.
