Obituary of Mary Ann Pendleton

Mary Ann Pendleton, 86, of Coffeyville passed away Sunday, January 17, 2016 in Coffeyville. Mary Ann was a proud, hard-working woman whose life was strongly shaped by the parents who raised her and the era in which she grew up. She was born to Ray and Dona Privitt, on June 7, 1929, just prior to the Great Depression. Her father Ray Raymond Privitt was born in Stotts City, Missouri in 1905. He was raised with 10 brothers and sisters and was a very intelligent man with strong opinions and high expectations of his children. Mary Ann's mother, Dona Gladys Sands was born in 1914 and also came from a large family with 6 brothers and sisters. She was only 14 when she married Ray who was nearly 10 years her elder. Within three years they had 2 children, Mary Ann the oldest, closely followed by Bill and then Sam who born 18 years later. Mary Ann was born in Dearing, KS but the family moved to South Coffeyville just two years later (1931) after the Dearing Meat Packing Plant closed and her father Ray found a new job at the Nowata County Gas Company. A small child during the Great Depression, Mary Ann remember going to the Brown Mansion to sell eggs and delivering newspapers with her brother Bill after school making only a dollar a week. Mary Ann's intense devotion to education began early; as she often recanted stories of a father who encouraged excellence in school and knowledge, even testing her on her math at the dinner table. She often spoke of high school, talking about riding the interurban to make the trip from South Coffeyville to Coffeyville, her time as a Tornado Tillie, and the place where she met Jack Pendleton, the one and only love of her life. Jack and Mary Ann often attended local football games on a scooter or hopped in the Pendleton family plane, a P19 for longer trips. They became engaged when Mary Ann was only 15 years old but did not marry for 6 more years. Their engagement did not excite Jack's parents as Mary Ann's home town of South Coffeyville or South Town (as it was known) was considered the other side of track with numerous gambling halls and bars in the town. Mary Ann graduated from high school in 1947, then enrolled in Coffeyville Collee where she earned her business degree in 1949. She worked at Orville Carter as the parts clerk and secretary while Jack went to K-State and earned his engineering degree. Jack and Mary Ann were wed on February 10, 1951, and went to Niagra Falls for their honeymoon. They moved to Blackwell, OK where Jack worked for Fink/Pendleton Motor Company and where their first daughter, Grace Ann, was born in September of 1953. Jack's father passed away in 1954 and the couple moved back to Coffeyville shortly after. They rented the house the family fondly refers to as "the little brown house" under the overpass on the west side of Coffeyville. Mary Ann went back to work at Orville Carter and Jack worked for the Sinclair Refinery until he was laid off in 1955. In 1956, Jack and Mary Ann welcomed their second daughter into the world, Donareatha Lou. Jack got a job with Charles Wheatley in Caney, KS and the family moved to Route 1 in 1957. This became the family home, one where each girl placed their hand prints and footprints in the cement sidewalk out back and where the letter P on the chimney marked the property as the Pendleton homestead. By 1961 their third daughter Glenna Rae arrived. During this time and while raising three young girls, Mary Ann returned to school. She traveled almost daily to Pittsburg to continue her education, teach summer school third grade class and to earn her Master's Degree. She continued her education at Pittsburg and earned an advance degree as an Education Specialist, just short of a doctorate. She was the organizing president of Delta Pi Epsilon at the university, an organization which supports the advancement of education for and about business. Money was tight for the family then and she often talked about selling milk to teachers on the Pittsburg State campus so that she would have lunch money for the day. Mary Ann was always looking for way to support or give back to the community. At a young age she supported her two oldest girls in 4-H, serving as an adult leader. After her children were grown, she became a supporter of the Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the local Kiwanis Chapter, even serving as the first female president. Many in Coffeyville can remember her pig hat while parking cars at ball games or community events or working in the concession stand or the ticket booth for college football games. She was an active member of the First Christian Church for many, many years often teaching classes, singing in the choir, providing the children's sermon or leading worship. She even served several holiday seasons as a Salvation Army bell ringer. Family and friendships were important to Mary Ann. She kept meticulous records to keep contact with others and sent Christmas updates to over 200 family and friends most years. She was always seen as the go to person for names, addresses, family genealogy and dates. Mary Ann loved teaching, reading, writing, working puzzles, working in her garden or simply playing Rummikube with her family. And by the way, she frequently won the family crown. Mary Ann spent the majority of her career teaching at Coffeyville Community College. Her first classes (in 1966) focused on Secretarial procedures and for years she practiced her own shorthand skills by recording the weekly sermon at church each Sunday morning. She was so devoted to the college her first son-in-law nicknamed her The Raven, both in honor of her time and to tease her. The nickname stuck and family and close friends still call Mary Ann, the Raven today. She was named Educator of the Year by the Coffeyville Chamber of Commerce in 1995, retiring in 1996, after serving 31 years there as a teacher and administrator. Mary Ann's devotion to education was fierce, not just with her own children, she supported 100's of students in the pursuit of higher learning through teaching, coaching and advising. She still receives cards and letter from students she touched during her life. Mary Ann will be remembered by many and forgotten by few as she touched so many lives in so many positive ways. Mary Ann was preceded in death by her loving husband and parents. Surviving to honor her memory are her 3 daughters, Grace Allen, Dona Pendleton-Gerler and Glenna Pendleton; two brothers, Bill Privitt of Bartlesville, OK and Sam Privitt of South Coffeyville, OK; grandchildren, Jason Kosty, Jamie Fleer, Cassie Gerler, Alyssa Gerler, Jack Gerler, Weslie Duncan and Samantha Maples, great-grandchildren, Marek Kost, Koen, Kosty, Brayden Fleer, Leia Fleer, MaKaelyn Gerler, Dylan Swaney, and Sawyer Jones. Funeral Services will be at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, January 21, 2016 at the First Christian Church in Coffeyville with Pastor Gordon Willhite officiating with burial to follow at the Havana Cemetery in Havana, Kansas. Friends may call on Wednesday, January 20, 2016 at the David W. Barnes Funeral Home from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to sign the guest register. Family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. The family suggests memorials contributions to CCC or the First Christian Church and may be left at the funeral home or mailed c/o David W. Barnes Funeral Home, 306 N. Cline Road, Coffeyville, KS 67337.