Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe

It’s not easy to describe Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe and her impact on the world. Perhaps her grandchildren said it best in the tender notes they sent to her during her final hours of life.

You always made me feel special and loved. — Ava

I’ve looked up to you my entire life. — Hayden

Thank you for all the wonderful adventures we had throughout the years. — Dravin

And adventures definitely were the mark of Mary’s life. A civil rights leader. A loving wife. An inspiring friend. And perhaps the role she cherished most — a supportive (and maybe even a little wild) grandma.

Heaven better be ready because this woman never stopped. She will surely make her mark there just as she did here on Earth.

•••

Mary Liuzzo Lilleboe, born January 22, 1948, had an almost storybook childhood.

Almost.

Until she was 17, Mary’s mother, Viola Gregg Liuzzo, devoted her life to finding the “magic” for her children. She wanted them to have everything she missed growing up poor in the South.

On March 25, 1965, that magic ended for Mary and her four siblings. Her mother, only 39 years old, was gunned down by the Ku Klux Klan outside Selma, Alabama, after heeding Martin Luther King Jr.’s call to Americans to come to help after the horrors of Bloody Sunday.

For much of her life, Mary searched for answers to try to make sense of this tragedy. It wasn’t an easy road — but that journey defined Mary’s life and gave her purpose.

More than 30 years after her mother’s death, Mary traveled to Selma — to reconnect with her mother’s memory. The people of the South embraced Mary, and as she learned her mother’s story, she learned theirs. In Selma, she also met her best friend (which wasn’t surprising because Mary made friends everywhere she went) and often speaking partner — JoAnne Bland, a civil rights foot soldier who had met Mary’s mother before she was murdered. The two bonded over their work and even danced across the Edmund Pettis bridge wearing rhinestone shoes after President Barack Obama was elected.

What followed from that first trip to Selma was the beginning of Mary’s life’s work — to tell these stories in order to preserve and pass down the history-making change brought about by the nonviolent Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. King and supported by people like her mother.

Mary walked in her mother’s footsteps and carried her legacy forward, fighting for equality and justice. Mary shared her experiences, her compassion and his wisdom at events, schools, universities, seminars, conferences and churches, including Brown’s Chapel where she received a standing ovation during the 50th Anniversary of Bloody Sunday. She told her story in documentaries, radio programs and television interviews because she knew the work Dr. King started was not complete.

Her husband Dan Lilleboe said Mary was a gifted speaker whether she was talking to five people or 5,000. “She made every person feel like she was talking directly to them,” he said.

Mary keenly understood that equality and justice come from knowledge and awareness, and she fervently worked to move America one step closer. She dedicated her life to preserving and passing on the legacy of action and nonviolence.

•••

But Mary wasn’t just a civil rights leader. She was also a wife, an aunt, grandmother and incredible friend — roles she took just as seriously as her public life serving justice.

More than 25 years ago, she found the love of her life — Dan Lilleboe, and gained something she desperately wanted — a family, one that embraced her and her work completely.

Together, Dan and his “brown-eyed girl” built a beautiful life together in the woods of Oregon — what she called “her slice of heaven.” There, the two raised furry pups and entertained their family — while sharing good stories and silly jokes throughout the day and star gazing at night.

Mary passed on Sept. 27, 2025, but her spirit lives on in the beliefs and principles she shared.

• Hold your judgement – you do not know the burdens they may carry.
• Never forget that America’s greatest strength is its citizens.
• Voting is a right and a privilege – use it and don’t waste it.

Dan said Mary opened his life and “helped me see the world differently. I was in awe of her.”

He wasn’t the only one. Mary left a wake of admirers and friends — from her “girls” in Austin to her

fellow foot soldiers in Selma. She was loved, and she will be missed.

Mary is survived by Dan Lilleboe; her step-sons Jason Lilleboe (Michele), Scott Lilleboe (Anna) Joshua Lilleboe; her grandchildren Hayden Lilleboe, Lucas Lilleboe, Ava Lilleboe, Corvin Lilleboe and Dravin Lilleboe; her siblings Penny Liuzzo Herrington, Tommy Lee, Anthony Liuzzo and Sally Liuzzo Prado; and her nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents Anthony Liuzzo and Viola Liuzzo

Please share a memory in Mary's guestbook.