STERLING – Mary Lou Viering, 88, of Sterling, died Monday, April 30, 2012, at CGH Medical Center in Sterling.

Mary Lou was born Jan. 10, 1924, in Chicago, to Lawrence “Bud” and Helen (Jacobs) McKevitt. They moved to Sterling when she was in third grade. She attended St. Mary Grade School and Community (Newman) High School, where she met many lifelong friends and established her bond with St. Mary Catholic Church.

Her family expanded with the birth of her brother John; they remained close her entire life. Her mother died when she was young and she was raised by her father and grandmother. She enjoyed tennis and golf, and had a close encounter with a horse. After high school, she attended school in Chicago to become a medical lab technician.
 Mary Lou worked for many years as a lab technician for Dr. Reavely. After her marriage to Lawrence “Butch” Viering on Nov. 8, 1952, she continued to work until the birth of her first daughter, Julie. She was one of the many unheralded workers who worked behind the scenes to establish the Sterling-Rock Falls Clinic.