Mary "Mitzi" L. Pilger, age 89, passed away peacefully on January 22, 2011 while under the compassionate care of St. Luke Lutheran Community where she spent the last nine months of her life. Mary was born August 13, 1921 in Canton, Ohio to Baker & Helen Sebria. After graduating from McKinley High School, Mary served in the US Navy between 1943-1945 where she met and later married her husband, Joseph Pilger. They settled in St. Louis, MO. She retired from the Transportation Department of the US Air Force in 1987 after which she lived in Clearwater, Florida until 2003 when she moved to North Canton, Ohio where she attended Holy Cross Lutheran Church. While living in Florida, Mary was a volunteer in hospitals, nursing homes and for her church. Mary was preceded in death by her husband Joseph in 1973, her parents, sister; Helen Lovinsky and brother; George Negrus. Mary is survived by her niece; Linda Monter of Canton who has been her caregiver for the past eight years and also her bird family, Bennie, Tweetie and their two daughters, "The Girls" as she called them. Her Niece; Linda thanks her special aides at St. Luke's; Melinda, Debbie, Kayla, Rhonda, Candis, Tami and Cheryl and her nurses; Annie and Lila as well as the rest of the staff in the Southern Hills Unit of St. Luke's for their compassion and care of Mary. They always managed to get a smile out of Mary during this difficult time in her life. Special thanks for friend and foster bird mom, Irma Calabria. In honoring Mary's wishes a private graveside service was held at her parent's grave in Forest Hill Cemetery.