Mary Alice Cronin passed away on December 28, 2020, three days shy of her 92 ^nd birthday.  Mary Alice, the oldest of four children, was born December 31, 1928 to Alice M. and Frank F. Burger.  Her birthday was always an extra reason for a New Year's Eve celebration.  Mary Alice grew up in the Saint Aloysius "holy land" neighborhood. She attended St. Aloysius Elementary School and graduated from Marycliff High School in 1946.  She attended Sacred Heart School of Nursing on a cadet scholarship and graduated in 1949 and then worked at Sacred Heart Hospital.  While in nursing school she met Mike Cronin whom she married in 1951. They were married for 62 years until his passing in 2013. Mary Alice lovingly cared for Mike at home in the last years of his life and said he was "my best friend and the best man I ever knew."  Mike and Mary Alice raised six children who survive them:  Tim (Barb), Shelia (Kevin) Masteller, Debbie (Jerry) Schmidt, Steve (Meg), Kevin (Patty) and Carol (John) Manix. There was never a dull moment or much room at the kitchen table where relatives and neighborhood friends were always welcome.  Her preparations assured all Holidays were fully celebrated right down to her hand sewn Easter clothes for the kids. She made 21 years of sack lunches for her children while they attended St. Francis of Assisi Parochial School, Marycliff High School and Gonzaga Prep.  She instilled her strong work ethic in her children and was the author of the Saturday morning chores list. She was a St. Francis school nurse, room mother and leader for many years and an active parishioner for 56 years including service in the Women's Guild and Altar Society.  She served on the Gonzaga Prep Board of Overseers and was a member and past president of the Greater Gonzaga University Guild.  When her children were older she returned to work as a registered nurse for several years at Holy Family Hospital.  She then served as Director of Nursing at St. Anne's Children's Home from 1984 until retiring in 1990.  This role brought her great joy as she cared for and loved all the children and their families.  She was a volunteer at the Christmas Bureau, Meals on Wheels and generously assisted many other charities.  Going to the lake was so thoroughly enjoyed and highly anticipated that the family dog, Boots, would wait next to the station wagon before it was packed up.  Her father Frank built two cabins at Loon Lake where lake life and extended family continues to be enjoyed. The families of Mary Alice and her now deceased siblings, Helen Borley and Frank Burger, Jr., and surviving sibling Carol Goodman all benefitted from Mary Alice's involvement and elbow grease in making fun times at the lake happen. A scratch baker of a variety of treats, she was known lovingly by her 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren as Grandma Cookies. Mary Alice will be greatly missed but remembered fondly in many ways by many people.  Online tributes may be made at www.holycrossofspokane.org .