84-year-old Mary Villhauer does not like to be alone and at the City Park baseball diamonds, she’s never had to be.
Mary Villhauer and her husband Howard, who passed away in 2007, joined the Iowa City Boys Baseball organization in 1960. Since then, the league has grown quite a bit from 16 teams with two bags of equipment partly because of the encouragement and passion that the Villhauers put into it. Mary Villhauer still acts as the concession stand manager, secretary and treasurer.
Some may wonder how a woman could handle such responsibility so late in life, but one look at Mary Villhauer and it all makes perfect sense. She stands upright when she greets you at her door, with a firm handshake and welcoming voice. Her blue eyes maintain a hint of youth when she smiles, especially when she talks about the ballpark.
Born Mary Elizabeth Crowley on June 26, 1926, she was the only child of Elizabeth and Timothy Crowley. She spent too much time growing up on a farm outside of Hills, Iowa, where she was left with only her parents for company.
“All my life I had hoped to have a brother or a sister, especially a sister,” Mary Villhauer said. “And of course I never did and it was very lonely, especially when we were in the country.”
Mary Villhauer continued to wish for a large family during her teenage years while she attended University High in Iowa City. Her parents moved from Hills to a farm outside West Liberty, Iowa, but she chose to live with two other girls in an apartment at 219 South Capitol St. until graduation.
“I moved to a small efficiency apartment at 403 South Johnson St.,” she explained. “My landlady had a daughter and her grandson living with her, so I liked living there, it was just like family.”
Luckily the man that would eventually become her husband was one of fourteen children, so she would not have to be alone much longer.
Her eyes light up when she talks about Howard Villhauer and his family. She moves her hands back and forth to the tempo of her words, showing enthusiasm and love for her family and their memories.
“It was so nice, in Howard’s family there was seven boys, seven girls,” said Mary. “And it really was just so nice to have people around.”
She married Howard Villhauer and they had their first child, Lorraine, in 1948. They went on to have two more girls and five boys. They lived with their eight children at 622 Jefferson St. for many years, where they became very involved in the community.
Howard Villhauer became an assistant coach with the Iowa City Boys Baseball league in 1960, the year before their oldest son, Ed, was eligible to play. He went on to coach all five of their sons, while Mary Villhauer realized a key opportunity for fundraising and ran with it.
“I saw the program growing and the need for a concession stand,” said Mary Villhauer. “I began volunteering by selling from the porch of our old equipment shack.”
Mary Villhauer described her work at the baseball park as well as a local auction, providing food and drinks, as a way to keep herself busy and give back to the community. Iowa City Boys Baseball eventually went on to name two clubhouses after Howard and Mary Villhauer.
Many of her family members, including some of her 20 grandchildren, still participate in the league, either by playing baseball, umpiring or working at the clubhouse alongside their grandmother. Her grandson Nick Jackson currently serves as the organization’s president.
Tyler Villhauer, Mary’s grandson, feels like watching her has encouraged him to better himself and try to continue to give back. Her continual participation in Iowa City Boys Baseball does not surprise him one bit.
“My grandparents were volunteering for 50 years,” said Tyler Villhauer. “My grandmother has always been really involved in the community and it’s been nice to have those standards to live up to.”
Tony Villhauer describes his mother as someone who is constantly moving about and always with an activity.
“She had three lunch shifts at her own house,” said Tony Villhauer. “We all used to walk home from school and she somehow always had it hot and waiting for us.”
Mary Villhauer lives her life in a very organized fashion, working her activities and appointments around the things she loves. These include the soap opera “Days of Our Lives,” the Chicago Cubs, Iowa City history and her family.
She keeps a very specific calendar, neatly writing down not only her future commitments, but also including visitors who stopped by and even the weather for individual dates.
Mary Villhauer walks everywhere she needs to go, she rarely rides in a car and never drives. She lives right in the heart of Iowa City, at the corner or Jefferson St. and Dodge St., which always put everything in walking distance. For her, the most important things to live near were the church and local grocers.
“Mom has always been on top of things, she does not let herself just forget anything or even sit around,” said Tony Villhauer. “Her and Dad were always playing cards or watching Wheel of Fortune. Dull moments were never really something they did.”
Although she enjoys reading and television, she always wants to ensure she takes care of her responsibilities. Even winter weather does not keep Mary Villhauer down.
“I still do my own shoveling,” said Mary Villhauer. “I’m not going to wait around for someone else to do something for me that I am perfectly able to handle on my own.”
Brynne Schweigel 