Mary Elizabeth Witherow

Mary Elizabeth Witherow

Mary Elizabeth Witherow, age 91, of Kirksville, MO passed away on Tuesday, August 21, 2012.

Mary Witherow was born July 28, 1921 in Kirksville, MO and grew up on the family farm in near-by Edina. She graduated from Edina High School in 1938 and attended college in Kirksville, where she received her BA degree at Northeast Missouri State Teachers College, now Truman State University, in 1942. After teaching for a time at various towns in Missouri and Iowa, she settled in St. Louis, where she taught and consulted for the St. Louis Public Schools for the last 33 years of her 44-year career. During this time, she served 17 years as Supervisor of Business Education for St. Louis, where she was responsible for business education curriculum and instruction at all 11 high schools in the St. Louis school system. She taught summer courses for teachers at Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, for the Missouri State Department of Education, spoke at professional meetings, and wrote articles for professional journals throughout her career and retirement.

In 1967, Mary became an author, when her student’s practice set, “The Secretary on the Job” was published. It was reprinted through 2 revisions. In 1998, “At Work in the Office” was published with a computer disk for students, and in 2003 she published “25 + 1 Communications Strategies for Business Education.”

Mary retired in 1987 but did not slow down. She returned to Kirksville and remained active among the retired teachers community. The Kirksville Area Retired Teachers selected Mary as their representative for the state Retired Educator of the Year for 2003. She remained active in the community with Delta Kappa Gamma, the local Friends of the Library book club, and taught Sunday School at her church, First Baptist of Kirksville.

Mary was predeceased by her parents, Fred Witherow and Maude Goldsberry Witherow of Edina and her sister, Freda Witherow Kurtz.

She is survived by her nephew and his wife, Russell Kurtz and Brenda Auzenne of Bradley Beach, NJ; her niece and her husband, Nancy and Daniel Haynes of Hesperia, CA, 2 grand-nieces, Rebecca Kurtz and Mary Haynes, and 2 grand-nephews, Jonathon Haynes and Timothy Kurtz.

Funeral Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, September 22, 2012, at Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home in Kirksville, MO. Reverend Marty Joplin will officiate the services. Musical selections will be “In the Garden” and “Old Rugged Cross”. Burial will be in the Baker Cemetery, Hurdland, MO (Northwest of Edina).

Casket bearers will be family and friends.

Visitation will be held before the service on Saturday, September 22, 2012, at Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home, 2100 E. Shepherd Ave., Kirksville, MO 63501 660-665-2233

Memorials may be made to the Baker Cemetery and may be left at or mailed to Davis-Playle-Hudson-Rimer Funeral Home, 2100 East Shepherd Ave., Kirksville, MO 63537.