LakeWalesNews.net - Hometown stories that count from people who care

Mary Louise Zipprer, 103, of Lake Wales passed away on Sunday, July 12, 2020 at the Lakeland Nursing and Rehab Center.

Born July 17, 1916, at Rosalie, a small settlement on the Kissimmee River, her family moved to Lake Wales in 1919. Mary saw the transformation of the wooded area in front of her home into a beautiful park and a marshland converted into a football field.

Downtown, with its livery stable and other wooden buildings, gradually made many changes including the streets (sand) which were paved as time went by and streetlights added.

As the town grew, so did she. In 1934, Mary gradu...