Mary Louise (Anderson) Wood

Mary Louise (Anderson) Wood Mary was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, on April 7, 1929 and died on August 14, 2018 in Wichita, KS. She was the daughter of Argolis and Louise (Smith) Anderson. On March 28, 1948 she married Ellis Lafe Wood and they made their home in Denison, Texas. Ellis was a fireman and later, an engineer for the MKT Railroad. Mary was the quintessential home room and PTA mother for their four children, but as the children grew, she began a career in the Katy offices. Ellis passed away in 1984 and after 50 years in Denison, Mary returned to her hometown of McAlester where she continued friendships with her school friends and family. The McAlester Class of 1947 still holds annual reunion dinners, the last of which Mary attended in 2017. In both towns, Mary was deeply committed to her church family and lived as a faithful Christian. In 2008, she moved to Wichita, Kansas, the home of her oldest daughter and became a vital part of the Georgetown Senior community and the Riverwalk Church of Christ. Mary was a wordsmith clever, eloquent and with a piercing wit. She especially appreciated reading and writing poetry and was an often-requested presenter at Georgetowns book reviews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Ellis, brother Robert Eugene Anderson, daughter Shannon Louise, and granddaughter Bethany Jill Wood. She is survived by sons Russell (Christi) Wood and Doug (Terry) Wood, and daughters Shellee (John) Morrison and Heather Wood; grandchildren Sarah (J.W.) Kirby, Joel (Tina) Morrison, Kathleen (Aaron) Prowell, Anna (Kevin) MacHarg, Russ (Emma) Wood, Matt (Jill) Wood, Brandon Wood and Deanna (Brent) Bollinger; 14 great-grandchildren; sister-in-law Edna Leslie and many nieces and nephews; dear friends Delila Reynolds and Dorothy Lalli. Memorial services will be in Wichita, Kansas at Georgetown Village, 1655 Georgetown Blvd on Sunday, August 19 at 2:00 p.m.; at Park Avenue Church of Christ in Denison, Texas on Saturday, August 25, at 10:30 a.m.; and graveside at 3:30 p.m. at Oak Hill Cemetery in McAlester, Oklahoma. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Carpenter Place, a home providing hope for at risk young women, at 1501 N. Meridian, Wichita, KS 67203.