Lasting Memories

Mary Cheek McCullough
Sept. 24, 1936-Aug. 17, 2026
Palo Alto, California

Mary McCullough passed away peacefully on August 17th, 2026 at Stanford Hospital after a long battle with Alzheimer's.

Mary was known for her fun, upbeat spirit which she applied to all aspects of her life. Mary loved her life…which was always full of family, friends, and fun.

Mary was born on September 24th, 1936 in Middletown Ohio to Alexander Cheek Jr and Emily Peyton Bethel Cheek. She grew up alongside her older sister Betty. The family moved to Louisville Kentucky in time to start high school at Collegiate High where Mary loved playing tennis. She attended Hollins College in Roanoke Virginia where she continued playing tennis, and joined the field hockey and lacrosse teams.

After college she moved to New York City for a few years before heading west to San Francisco. Mary continued playing tennis which is where she met her future husband, Walter McCullough. They were married in 1962 and had their first child a few years later.. Mary and Walt decided it was time to move down the Peninsula in search of better weather and ended up in Menlo Park where they had their second child.

Mary believed in being an active part of her community and immediately became involved with the Jr. League of Palo Alto. Mary loved to share her love of nature with children, and worked in the early days of the Environmental Volunteers leading field trips to Foothills Park and the Baylands where she helped children discover the wonder of nature.

She ultimately found her passion when the Gamble Garden of Palo Alto was founded. Mary created the Roots and Shoots program with Molly Brown and Mrs. Masatani, 3rd grade teacher at Walter Hays. This program paired seniors with school children, introducing 3rd grade classes to nature, ecology and the environment through the living classroom at Gamble. Mary served as the 5th President of Gamble Garden. She continued to be actively involved at Gamble with the Holiday Affaire, Spring Garden Tours, teas, luncheons, and flower arranging classes.

Mary was a devoted wife and mother and was always there for her family. She loved creating holiday dinner tables for the family to gather around, which always included beautiful flower arrangements she took pride in creating.

Mary’s life was never quiet or dull. She and Walt were active fans of Stanford basketball and football. They both picked up golf in their later years, and were often seen on the local courses as well as spending time playing golf down in Indian Wells, CA. If there wasn’t a tee time, or tennis match, or other sporting event on the calendar, she was taking her grandchildren to Gamble to teach them about nature and gardening. She loved spending time with her family up at their cabin at Fallen Leaf Lake where she instilled her love of nature in her grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband, Walter J McCullough, their daughters Julie McCullough (Randy Tsuda) and Elizabeth Wolfe (Kevin) and her five grandchildren, Katie, Lily, Hailey, Jake and Benjamin as well as her sister Elizabeth (Betty) Clarke of New Bern, NC.

Donations in Mary’s name can be made to Gamble Garden Center, Palo Alto, CA.