Mary Lou Banks Mary Louise (nee Walkden) Banks, RN, a

Mary Lou Banks Mary Louise (nee Walkden) Banks, RN, a devoted mother, lover of family, a cherished friend to many, and beloved Public Health nurse, passed away peacefully and comfortably at the age of 93 on October 12, 2025. She was surrounded by her three children David Allan Roth, PhD, Jane Roth Camero, RN, and Evan Roth; and her grandson, Winston Eli Camero and his father, Thomas Camero, at their home in Hood River, Oregon. She was bathed in love and respect throughout her life by her children, her relatives, friends, and colleagues, and was admired by many more. Mary Lou is preceded in death by husbands Dr. Emanuel Mann "Jocko" Roth, MD in 1972, and by Edward Brodrick Banks in 2005. Mary Lou is also survived in her extended family: her step-children, Laura Alice Banks, Glen Heartsill Banks, and Douglas Edward Banks; and by her two daughters-in-law, Katharin (nee Gustafson) Liane Roth and her grandchildren, Stella Jane Roth and Lucas Allan Roth; and Barbara R. Jerome; and by her close Madoff relatives: Harry Sayre Madoff, Lori Rose Madoff Moussapour, and Michael Benjamin Madoff; and cousin, Martin Emanuel Madoff. Mary Lou is also survived by three nieces through her brother, Alfred Thomas Walkden: Carol Ruth Reilly, Joanne "Jody" Marjorie Shea, and Sharon Beth Furtado; and Mary Lou's three nieces through her brother, William Hedley Walkden: Marylou Dipollino, Patricia Piasecki, and Becca Pouliot; and by her very close Philips family in Albuquerque: Christopher Strieby Philips, Carol Marie Pierce, Christen Romero Philips, Samuel Pierce Philips, and Eva Marie Philips; and by her close Banks in-laws: Robert Hamill Banks, Barbara Jeanne Banks, Kyle Temple Banks, William King Banks, Sally Craig Banks, and Mark Elliot Banks. Mary Lou was born on April 1, 1932, to Pensacola "Wink" Walkden and Mary Veronica (nee Donnelly) Walkden in Far Rockaway, Long Island, NY. She grew up with two protective brothers, Alfred Thomas Walkden and William Hedley Walkden in Fall River, Massachusetts (MA). Mary Lou had a strong sense of family, with an intense desire to care for others in her family and friendship circles with love and compassion. Professionally, her caring extended to multiple hospitals and clinics in MA and New Mexico (NM). These values guided her throughout her remarkable life and were the cornerstone of her long and distinguished career in nursing, caring for patients and their families, and in training many community-based nurses in Indigenous and Hispanic populations in rural NM, a state that she called home for over 52 years. Mary Lou graduated with an RN degree from Truesdale Hospital School of Nursing in Fall River, MA in 1953, and began her career in pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital giving exceptional patient care to infants and mothers, and it was there that she met her first husband, Dr. E.M. Roth. Her nursing career spanned five decades, during which she was known for her organizational and clinical skills, professionalism, and unwavering kindness. She was instrumental in founding, organizing, and working as the first nurse and Clinic Director at Planned Parenthood (PP) in Albuquerque from 1964-1972, and helped open other PP clinics throughout NM over many years. She spent 22 years of her career from 1972 as the Nursing Supervisor and the Director of Nursing in the NM Public Health Department where she received the NM Distinguished Public Service Award, then retired in 1994 and was later honored with the NM Nursing Excellence and Legend Award in 2011. Outside of her profession, Mary Lou was a woman of many passions. At BMC-Durfee high school in Fall River, MA, she was an honor roll student, won several spelling bees, and lettered in both varsity field hockey and as a forward on the MA State Champion basketball team from 1947-1950. She later played club tennis with the Roth family at the Tennis Club of Albuquerque (TCA), and was ranked #2 for two years in the USTA-SW Section in Mother-Son doubles. She was an adventurous woman and mother: she loved hiking mountains and beaches, family car camping around the US, motor home trips to Alaska and Canada, extended trips to Europe and Asia, and loved downhill and XC skiing, snowshoeing, gardening, and watching the trees turn colors each fall. She was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Albuquerque for many years in the 1960s and 70s, and was an active member of Compassion and Choices that gave rise to New Mexico's Death With Dignity policy, and was active for decades in the Democratic Party of NM. Mary Lou's life touched many people: family, friends, and work colleagues. She had a remarkable ability to understand, console, and advise many of us in her orbit. She cooked for us and brought us together, with her beautiful smile and her infectious happiness, which could not be denied. An enthusiastic cook, she delighted in preparing holiday and ethnic meals, genuine New England and NM native fare for her family and friends, a tradition that brought everyone together for clam chowder and posole with Hatch chile. Mary Lou's legacy is one of compassion, kindness, humor, dedication to her family and friends, and to her profession. She will be profoundly missed by all who knew and loved her. A small, private celebration of her life will be held in the spring of 2026 near Jemez Springs, NM on the Banks family property that she loved to visit so often. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Planned Parenthood, an organization so essential for the physical and mental health of young women and families, a program that was so close to Mary Lou's heart.