Mary Elizabeth Massey, 88, passed peacefully, with her signature red lipstick perfectly applied, on September 28, in Columbia, surrounded by her loving family.
Mary was born on July 7, 1938, in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, to the late James Martin and Ruth Freemyer. She married fellow Kansan Kent Meaders Massey on August 5, 1956, in Sun City, Kan., and they shared 52 happy years of marriage before Kent's passing in 2008. In the early '60s they settled in Wright City, where they raised their family and built a home rooted in community and service. While Mary lived in Warren County, most of her life, Barber County, Kan., remained her “home,” and she visited often to spend time with family and friends.
A dedicated community member, Mary gave her time generously to many organizations, including her church, civic causes, and attending to children, the elderly and those in need. Mary was a loyal Southern Baptist, singing for decades in the choir and she was famous for running around in her red van in service of it all, whether carting homemade cookies for a cause, visiting someone in need or getting to choir practice on time. A passionate collector of antiques, she filled her home with cherished finds and loved to host family, friends, new church members and anyone else who enjoyed a home-cooked meal or dessert.
Even as she outlived many of her dearest friends, she continued to forge new connections with grace and humor. Raising her daughters and nearby grandchildren was always Mary's greatest calling, alongside her work at Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in Warrenton. In her final years at The Bluffs in Columbia, she was adored by all who attended to her and she adored them, too.
She is survived by her four loving daughters Michelle, Jennifer, Karlan and Robyn, and their husbands Dennis, Andrew, Louis and Jean. Mary was the proud grandmother of Michael, Jeremy, Ben, Madeleine, Adrienne, Ethan, Elena, Aaron, Yasmine and Reem; five great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. She was preceded in death by her parents and beloved husband, Kent; brother, J.D. (Carol Jean) Martin of Sharon, Kan.; grandson, Joseph Kohlhaas and great grandson Isaac Kohlhaas.
Mary Massey will be remembered for her strength of character, her warmth, her signature mix of enthusiasm and encouragement and the generosity of spirit she extended to everyone she met. Her legacy lives on in the lives she touched and the values she lived by every day.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Mary's honor online to The Bluffs, a non-profit skilled nursing facility in Columbia, the Alzheimer’s Association, or The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. A small private family memorial will be held for her in Kansas.
