Obituary of MaryLou Waelbrock

MARYLOU (RUSTY) WAELBROCK

Whether she was fishing, gardening, sewing or bookkeeping, MaryLou completed every task to perfection and with dedication.  She was born MaryLou Troesh in Whittier on July 16, 1932.  As a sophomore at El Monte High School, petite and pretty with a crown of flaming red hair, MaryLou caught the eye of her future husband, Ray Waelbrock.  Ray invited her out for ice cream, but neglected to tell her she would have to help him jump start his ’31 Chevy Coupe before they could go!    They married right after graduation, found a place to live and started a family.  Unfortunately, the U.S. Military had other plans for Ray and he was shipped off to Korea right after their first daughter was born, leaving MaryLou to handle family life without him.   Ray sustained a horrific injury in Korea, and MaryLou nursed him back to health when he returned.  They subsequently had three more children, a son and two daughters.  To make ends meet, MaryLou sewed the family clothes and worked outside the home at times.  Besides her family, MaryLou’s great passions were traveling, square dancing and gardening.  Her roses and dahlias were her specialties.   

 In 1962, the young family moved to Paradise, California, where Ray started R&A Construction and MaryLou kept the books.  Tragically, the Camp Fire took their Paradise home of 58 years, and they relocated to Corning.  In their younger days, they loved to travel and took their fifth wheel across the country three times.  One memorable trip lasted three and a half months with a stop at Mount St. Helens on the way to Alaska and Canada.  The day after their stop, Mount St. Helens volcano erupted spewing ash over multiple states. 

MaryLou passed away at Enloe Medical Center on February 9, 2025.  She leaves behind Ray, her loving spouse of almost 75 years; daughters Linda Tunison, of Corning; Tina Philbrook of New Hampshire; and Renae Brown, of Florida; ten grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her son Bruce Waelbrock and her sister Teri Reddick.  Services will be held at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 767 Elliott Road, Paradise, on March 14 at 11:00AM, with luncheon immediately following.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Ramsey Funeral Home 530-534-3877