Maybe you didn’t personally know Mara Clingingsmith, but many Quincyians and people in the surrounding area are familiar with her battle against COVID-19. The community rallied around Mara and her family, but she died of the virus November 4 at the age of 58. The support for her family still continues with a fundraiser called MaskUp4Mara.

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A live remote auction will be held at 12:00 p.m. Friday, December 11 through 10:00 p.m. Sunday, December 13, 2020, to raise funds to help with the medical bills and other expenses. It will be on the Facebook Page MaskUp4Mara. All items will be posted and available for bid.

I was blessed to know Mara. She was the General Manager during part of my time as an anchor at KHQA. In recent times, I got to see Mara once a week as she stopped in the Hannibal studios for a regular spot on KHMO Radio in her position as Regional Director of the Better Business Bureau.

Mara was a major player in the Quincy-area business scene, but she was so much more than that. She was a beloved wife, mom, grandmother, and an amazing friend to many. Before she contracted covid, Mara sewed more than 300 facemasks for people in the community.

The MaskUp4Mara auction has brought in scores of donated baskets and items for bids, contributed by businesses and community members. If you go to the website, you’ll see gift cards, jewelry, hand-made items and much more. The money will help offset the cost of the medical bills Mara’s family incurred, but equally important, it helps the family to know that Mara was well loved and meant so much to so many.

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