She was the oldest of four children born to Lawrence Swank and Wilma Greenman. The next spring after she was born, she and her parents moved to a farm northwest of Diagonal. She started school there and then in the spring of 1942 moved back to the Salem community where her parents purchased her grandparents, Clifford and Bessie Greenman's farm.

She went to the Salem rural school and graduated from the eighth grade there and then went to the Mount Ayr High School and graduated with the class of 1954. During her youth she had two faithful pets, her white pony, Topsy, and her collie dog, Shep. She belonged to the Caledonia Clover Girls 4-H Club and held many offices, later being County Girls 4-H president, and also held State Offices in 4-H. She attended the Salem Church and later attended the Kellerton United Methodist Church.

After graduation she went to work at the Ringgold County Extension office and then moved to Des Moines and worked at Farm Bureau and later at Standard Distributing.

On July 4, 1958, she was married to Donald McLead at the Methodist Church, Kellerton. To this union was born one son, Robert McLead. They later divorced and she married Max Higday, August 29, 1962. To this union four children were born, Brent, Marilyn, Mike, and Mark.

Mary and Max lived in Carroll and Creston, where she was a purchasing agent for the hospitals, and in Manning for one year where Max worked on the Terrace Apartments construction project as an electrician.

They moved to Omaha, where Mary worked for Loner Corporation for 20 years. After retiring she and her good friend, Jay Bowen, traveled and spent their winters in the South until her failing health. She lived at the Mount Ayr Health Care Center since July of 2004.

She was preceded in death by her two husbands and her parents. Mary is survived by her friend and companion, Jay Bowen; her sisters, Linda and Bob Swanson and Cathy and Jim Coulson; brother, Larry Swank with special friend, Deb Clark; her children, Robert and Carrie McLead, Brent and Faith Higday, Marilyn and Steve Thompson, Mike Higday, and Mark Higday. Her grandchildren, Amanda, Liz, Caitlin, and Wyatt McLead and Kevin, Ryan, Lee, and Brandon Thompson; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, and lots of friends.

Mary passed away April 13, 2005, in Mount Ayr, Iowa.

She donated her remains to The Nebraska Anatomical Board to help further science. There was a celebration of life ceremony at the Mount Ayr Legion Building, Saturday, April 16, 2005, at 10 a.m. and internment will be at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr, Iowa, at a later date.
Clearfield Chronicle, April 27, 2005