Mary Frances (nee Ralston) Davis, 97, of Warrenton, was brought home by her heavenly Father on Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. She peacefully transitioned at her cherished apartment home at Oak Pointe. Mary Frances was born Aug. 14, 1924, in Breckenridge, Mo., the only child of Willard C. and Mabel (nee: Harper) Ralston.
She was preceded in death by her husband Richard, parents Willard and Mabel and two great grandchildren, John M. Allen IV and Samantha M. Kroll.
She is survived by children Bruce Davis (Nancy) of Gettysburg, Pa., Janine Davis of Warrenton, Annette Toenjes (Jerry) of The Woodlands, Texas, and Jeff Davis (Jenny) of Chesterfield, along with grandchildren Masen Davis, Mary Tessier Du Cros (Remi), Laura Goodrich (Jeff), Jessica Allen (Jack), Lisa Van Swearingon (Kevin), Andrea Kroll (Matt), Chelsea Davis, Caitlin Davis and Megan Davis. She also leaves behind 12 great-grandchildren and many good friends.
Education was important to Mary Frances throughout her life. Following World War II, she resumed her studies at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Mo., graduating with a degree in economics. In between and during the war years, she worked in civil service. On a bus to Kansas City for her job, she spotted a young Richard on his way to enlist, and the rest became history.
Mary Frances enjoyed cooking, entertaining, crafting/needlework and playing the piano, a tradition she kept up through weekly Sunday evening hymn-playing at Oak Pointe as residents gathered for dinner. She also enjoyed traveling the world and country in her adventures with her husband Richard, many stories of which she chronicled in four books. In her books and writings, she enjoyed conveying her birth family history as proprietors of Ralston’s General Store in rural Northwest Missouri.
A proud Missourian, Mary Frances moved from Springfield, Mo., to the Houston, Texas, area following her husband’s death in 2005, returning to Warrenton in 2011 to spend her remaining years in what her roving family always considered home base.
She was a minister’s wife here (College Methodist) in the 1960s and 70s, supplementing the family’s income by teaching kindergarten and giving private piano lessons. She also helped her husband in churches in Pecatonica, Ill., German Valley, Wis., and in Bowling Green, Stanberry, Paris, University City and DeSoto in Missouri. From DeSoto, she and Richard retired to country life in nearby Terre du Lac where they hosted many gatherings of family and friends.
She was a model preacher’s wife, rolling with the glories and punches of raising a family in the fish bowl of parsonages. Known for her warmth and hospitality, she reveled in serving God and his people in a parish setting. She especially loved the people of Warrenton and expressed her affection and appreciation for all that her community gave her family as she and Richard served here.
A memorial service will be held Friday, November 5, 10 a.m. to noon at Martin Funeral Home in Warrenton. Funeral services will begin at noon also at the funeral home, followed by interment at Warrenton City Cemetery.
Online condolences may be made at www.martinfuneral.net. Memorial donations are preferred to The WISE Foundation, Agape, Feeding America or the Warrenton Animal Shelter, c/o Martin Funeral Home at 510 East Main St., Warrenton, MO 63383.
The family deeply thanks the staff of Oak Pointe for their love, care and friendship over the years, as well as Mary Frances' caregivers at Heartland Hospice and her friends who kept in touch through cards.
