Mary Elizabeth Lindskog, age 85, of Sarasota, formerly of Minneapolis, Minn., died Thursday, Sept. 27, 2012.

She was born Dec. 11, 1926, in Burma, where her parents served as missionaries. Her father, James Lee Lewis, was a minister of the American Baptist Church.

After leaving Burma, the family, which included four children, returned to the United States and lived in Iowa, Nebraska and Michigan.

Mary attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn., after high school in Omaha, Neb.. She graduated in 1949 with major areas of study in English and journalism and minors in education and Spanish. That same year she married Paul Woodrow “Woody” Lindskog, a World War II Navy aviator veteran. They settled in Minneapolis with their two sons, Eric and Jon.

Mary had a successful career as a teacher of English and journalism and as adviser to the high school paper and literary magazine. She left teaching to become the director of communications for the Robbinsdale School District, which at that time was the third largest school district in Minnesota. She became active in state and national school public relations, serving as a board member and president at the state level and vice president at the national level.

After early retirement in 1985, Mary and her husband settled in Nokomis. Until her recent diagnosis of cancer, she contributed generously of her time and expertise by volunteering at Venice Presbyterian Church and community organizations in the Venice area including the American Association of University Women.

Mary is survived by her husband, Paul Woodrow “Woody”; her son Eric (Susan) of Rochester, Minn., and son Jon (Nancy) of Los Gatos, Calif.; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and nieces, nephews and cousins.

Mary was a loving, dedicated wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and very caring to all the members of her family. She will be remembered by many others as a truly sincere friend and a talented professional.

Services: Visitation will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 12, at Wiegand Brothers Funeral Home, Sarasota, Fla. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13, at Venice Presbyterian Church, with interment at 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, at Sarasota National Cemetery.

Contributions: Memorial donations may be made to the Venice Presbyterian Church Scholarship Fund, 111 E. Firenze Ave., Venice FL 34285.