Mary L. Wilson
October 17, 2009
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Wilson, Mary L., 76, of Wichita, passed away Saturday, October 17, 2009. Visitation with the family 6:00 ~ 7:30 P.M., Wednesday, October 21, and service 1:00 P.M., Thursday, October 22, both at Downing Lahey Mortuary East. Mary was a loving mother and grandmother, former civil service employee and control tower operator for the Air Force. She was preceded in death by sisters, Dorothy Carr and Polly Sampson. Mary is survived by her husband of 56 years, Dorrell “Jim” Wilson of Wichita; her son, Richard Wilson of Copper Center, AK; daughters, Tina Lucke of Brandywine, MD and Jamie Hamilton of Shawnee, KS; 6 grandchildren; sisters, Willa Dean Konte of Canyon City, CO and Frances Olsen of Scottsdale, AZ; brother, Archie Poole of Anchorage, AK. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association, 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL 60674.
Visitation with the family 6:00 ~ 7:30 P.M., Wednesday, October 21, at Downing Lahey Mortuary East.
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Jim and family, We are so sorry to hear of Mary’s passing. We did not know her real well but enjoyed visiting with her when we came to Kansas to visit Lucy and Bob. I will always remember her beautiful quilting.
Grandma hiked FIVE WHOLE MILES in Harrison, Arkansas the day before things went wrong and played Pitch until after midnight. She said it was the best vacation she’d ever been on. She was doing the things she loved best with people she loved most, and that is how I will always remember her. Each of us that knew her are better people for it, and she will live forever in our hearts.
Dear Uncle Jim, Rick, Tina, and Jamie, My deepest sympathies go out to you during this time of loss. All of Aunt Mary are of a kind, caringperson. She did a number of things for me that i will always hold dear in my heart. My prayers are with each of you–not just today but in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead! One of the greatest comforts we have as Christians is that our life on this earth–whether short or long–is just the beginning to our real life with our Savior and Lord. Aunt Mary has entered into the best part of her life. We will rejoin her sometime in the future but right now we are in the grieving process which is healthy and healing. Share with each other the wonderful things you remember about your wife/mother and let God touch you as only He can do. Love to all, Myron Webster
I remember many things about my Aunt Mary. What I remember most is her dedication to family. She always made me feel like closest family, which gave me many benefits of said dedication. But she only had to put up with me in short bursts. She lasted around 60 years in the wacky world of those Wilson boys — a task that was challenging, yet quite enjoyable. For 56 of those years, she was married to youngest, and arguably the orneriest, of the bunch — my Uncle Jim. Interestingly, perhaps my strongest connection with my aunt was literally family-related, as she was instrumental in organizing a long series of Burnette family reunions, at various hubs in Kansas. Jim’s mom (my grandmother) was Tina Burnette Wilson, the matriarch of the Wilson family. Aunt Mary’s reunions drew descendants and friends from all over Kansas, a few places in Missouri and Arkansas, even Texas and New Mexico. I always anticipated these reunions and tried to attend each one. Now, these events alone were quite a legacy. But she was also a genealogical tour de force, and did a great job of documenting that family tree. While Tina B. was the focal point of the Burnette hierarchy, Mary W. was the focal point for accumulating and preserving the heritage. She did much of this not only prior to the Internet explosion, but also when personal computers and genealogy software was in its infancy. (Can you say ‘Commodore 64’?). So her task was much harder then. Her efforts were infectious, and I helped her expand it and fill in many details. I wish I could be at her memorial service, I imagine it will be a reunion that would have made her proud — still getting everyone together. Many warm memories of my Aunt Mary will long live in the hearts of the people in her family tree and many of their friends.