Giles was born in Dry Fork, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, USA, on 20 April 1913, to parents Phil Grasty Crane (1887–1979) and Ruth Nellie Stowe (1894–1992). She had at least two younger brothers: Joseph Elton Crane (1918–1951) and Phil Grasty Crane Jr. (1924–2011).
In 1932, at the age of 19, she married Leeland Samuel Giles (1911–1990). The couple had four children: Buddy Gene Giles (1932–2013), Connell Weldon Giles (1936–1989), Ronald Giles, and Dale Baker. She visited Alaska, Europe, Bermuda, Hawaii, and the Island of Terceira in the Azores, where she resided for several months.
Giles passed away at her home in Poquoson, Virginia, USA, on 31 August 2023, at the age of 110 years, 133 days.
At the time of death, she was the third-oldest known living person in the U.S. state of Virginia, behind Virginia Jefferson and Pauline Cook.
Her age was verified by Stefan Maglov and Jack Ellis, and validated by LongeviQuest on 15 October 2023.
* “Mary Lou Crane Giles” – Find a Grave
* “Obituary for Mary Lou (Crane) Giles” – Claytor Rollins Funeral Home, 31 August 2023