Seattle, WA - Mary Lou Enlow, a lifelong professional visual artist, died peacefully on Feb. 21 at her assisted-living residence at Horizon House in Seattle. She was 96. Over the decades, her paintings appeared in many exhibitions and galleries in Washington state, including the Spokane Art Museum. A stained glass work that she was commissioned to create can still be seen in the entry foyer of the Kennewick (Washington) Public Library. She also taught art at Columbia Basin Community College.

The daughter of Edward Paul and Emma (Roan) Williams, Mary Lou was born in Woodward, Oklahoma on June 7, 1929. She attended Stephens College in Missouri and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. Art was at the center of her studies. Among her teachers was the renowned painter Ben Shahn (1898-1969).

At university she met her husband of many years, Louis R. Enlow, who passed away in 2017. Of her husband Louis, Navy pilot and pleasure sailor, Mary Lou was always proud to say "I married adventure." In the 1950s and 60s in the Columbia Basin region of southeast Washington, she and Louis formed a tight team as together they built and operated a successful farm, including designing and building the farmhouse and surrounding it with beautiful grounds. As their daughters were growing up, Mary Lou often utilized her artistic skills with them, designing and creating costumes, puppets, and a puppet theatre. Mary Lou and Louis then moved to Kala Point, near Port Townsend in western Washington, where they again teamed up to design a light-filled house and oversee its construction. They enjoyed retirement in this home for several decades. Mary Lou had a passion for hunting mushrooms in the nearby forests, as well for fishing and sailing with Louis.

Mary Lou is survived by two daughters, Clair and Amy; four grandsons, Zachary and Luke Silvestre (Amy's) and William and August (Clair's); and two sons-in-law, Klebert Silvestre and Duane Kelly.