Mary Lou Totten

Mary Lou Totten, 89, of Pasadena California, passed away on October 24th 2024.

Mary Lou was born on September 25th 1935 to Bennie and Annie Koonce in Tucson AZ. After Mary Lou graduated from high school, she went on to study Human Development at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena California. After graduating with a degree in the field, she was hired as a preschool director/teacher at Lake Avenue Congregational Church preschool in Pasadena where she taught for 8 years.

In the 1970s, Mary Lou and her husband Gene started an Art Department at Pasadena Covenant Church, asking congregation members to draw bulletin covers for upcoming church services. This activity eventually evolved into full fledged Worship Committee coordination and church service theme planning with pastors and music directors. Mary Lou wrote and directed many short chancel dramas, seasonal plays and more. She and her husband left a long legacy of arts and worship at Pasadena Covenant.

During that time, Mary Lou and Gene also co-founded "The Fellowship of Artists for Cultural Evangelism" (FACE), a Christian artist/missions organization. At FACE, Mary Lou co-developed 17 "Summer Institutes" at William Carey International University in Pasadena, training groups of young Christian artists and actors in cross cultural arts-communication. Mary Lou co-wrote and co-directed many culturally sensitive Christian themed stories, plays and songs for students to perform: for Navajo children, Yupik villagers, and eventually for many large venues at art universities in China, up until 2005 when she retired. 

In 1985, Mary Lou received a Master of Arts degree in Cross-Cultural Communication at Fuller Theological Seminary. Part of the program was the research of ethnic art processes among the Yupik peoples in northwest Alaska, including the co-illustration of the project “Tales of Ticasuk”, a published book of Yupik legends and stories collected by her friend Emily Ivanoff Brown.

Mary Lou was a musician, illustrator, sculptor, beach comber, forest camper, rock collector and desert rat. 

Mary Lou is predeceased by her dear husband Eugene Totten and beloved daughter Karen Worcester. Also by her three older brothers: Lester, Grady and Naurice Koonce. 

She is survived by her son Michael Totten and wife Allyson Skoien, son-in-law Stephen Worcester as well as grandchildren Anders Totten and Märit Totten; along with many nieces and nephews.