Mary Katherine Tims

Mary Katherine Tims died peacefully in her sleep on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at her residence in Hendersonville, North Carolina. She was 100 years young. Mary is remembered for her varied interests and talents, service to country, and devotion to family. Born in Eudora, Arkansas in 1924, she was the first child of Mr. and Mrs. P. A. Tims, Sr. Mary spent her formative years in southern Mississippi, graduating from Poplarville High School in 1942.

She enrolled in Pearl River Community College (PRCC), but only a few months into her college studies, she applied and was accepted into the Curtiss-Wright Engineering Cadette Training Program. It was wartime, and increasing numbers of male engineers were recruited for military efforts, causing the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, a major manufacturer of World War II aircraft, to experience extreme labor shortages. The company took the highly unusual step of training women to back fill their ranks.

Among 918 women identified nationwide as mathematically advanced, Mary left PRCC to enroll in the Curtiss-Wright training at the University of Texas at Austin. Following an accelerated ten-month curriculum that included aerodynamics, engineering, and design, she was assigned to the engineering department of the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Corporation headquartered at Lambert Field, St. Louis, Missouri. There, and at their Buffalo, New York plant, she worked through VJ Day in the wing group for the development and production of the C-46 Commando aircraft.

With the end of the war and the closing of the Curtiss-Wright plants, Mary resumed her education at PRCC, receiving an Associate degree in 1946. The following summer, she worked as a sales representative at Goudchaux’s Department Store in their Canal Street (New Orleans) location. She impressed coworkers with her skill in selecting and selling clothing, and during that time, developed an interest in fashion merchandising.

She continued her formal education in home economics, receiving a B.S. degree from Our Lady of the Lake College in San Antonio, Texas in 1948 and an M.S. degree from the University of Alabama in 1950, where she served as an instructor for one year. From 1951-1955, Mary taught home economics at the University of Missouri. There, she met and married John Bishir. During their 22-year marriage, they raised one son and three daughters.

After raising a family, Mary returned to school at the University of Tennessee Knoxville to earn a Ph.D. at age 60, specializing in home economics with an emphasis in textiles and fashion merchandising. For eight years, she taught home economics at Ohio University Athens. During her teaching career, Mary took students on educational trips to the Garment District in Midtown Manhattan to observe clothing design and production. After her “retirement” in 1992, Mary attended the Culinary Institute of America and enjoyed a productive second career as a pastry chef and caterer, serving exclusive restaurants in western North Carolina.

Mary traveled internationally and enjoyed opera and classical music. She took piano lessons from age 6 to nearly 90 and studied the cello in her 70s with her dear friend Robert Hudson.

Mary is survived by her cherished brother P. A. Tims of Poplarville, Mississippi; her son Robert Bishir (Yong) of Ft. Meade, Maryland; three daughters, Carol Kelly of Everett, Washington; Patricia Bishir of Lexington, Kentucky; and Diane Mays of Cary, North Carolina; grandchildren Raymond Bishir, Dawn Cardona (Jaime), and Lauren Lewis (Brent); great-grandchildren Sofia Cardona, Wolfgang Bishir, Raven Lewis, and Lincoln Lewis; and many treasured nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, her beloved sister Margaret Tims Younathan, and her dear half-sister Elise Korpi.

In memory of Mary K. Tims the family is grateful for charitable donations to Four Seasons Chamber Orchestra (4seasonsorchestra.org), Hendersonville.

Mary’s family extends a special thanks to the staff at Carolina Village Medical Center, who cared for her like one of their own. Her family and friends rejoice in her remarkable 100 years of life and the richness she brought to theirs. She is deeply loved and sorely missed.