Mary Harriet Kirby (1911 - 2003)

KIRK, SIMMERMAN, HOUSH, SPELLERBERG, DREW, BURNETT, ROBERTS, DORMAN, CRONIN, MAGERKURTH, SCHNEIDER

Posted By: Karen Brewer (email)
Date: 9/7/2011 at 22:58:55

Newspaper Unknown

Mary H. Kirby
Mary Harriet Kirby, daughter of George Alva and Lizzie Kirk Simmerman, was born June 1, 1911, in Murray and died Sept. 23, 2003, at the Rowley Memorial Masonic Home in Perry. She was 92.

She graduated from Murray High School in 1928 and attended Drake University. She married Howard Vernon Kirby on Jan. 17, 1931, in Indianola and they became the parents of three daughters, Joyce, Janis and Susan.

Mr. and Mrs. Kirby lived in the Murray area and she was a teacher in the Truro and Interstate 35 Schools until she retired in 1973. Following her husband’s death in 1974, Mrs. Kirby sold the farm and moved to Truro and helped Denis and Sandra Kale at Kale Funeral Home before moving to Osceola in 1976. She moved to the Rowley Memorial Masonic Home six years ago.

Mrs. Kirby was a member of the First Christian Church in Osceola.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; four brothers, Aubrey, Robert, George and David Simmerman; four sisters, Nellie Housh, Helen Spellerberg, Gladys Drew and Bessie Burnett.

Mrs. Kirby is survived by her three daughters, Joyce Roberts and her husband, Warren Joe Roberts of Rippey, Janis Dorman and her husband, Jim Dorman, of Casa Grande, Ariz., and Susan Cronin and her husband, Mike Cronin, of Riverside; nine grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; two sisters-in-law, Arlene Simmerman and Genevieve Simmerman, both of Murray; other relatives and friends.

Services for Mrs. Kirby were Sept. 27 at Kale Funeral Home in Osceola, Pastor Charles Compton of Perry officiating. Organist Belva White accompanied Emil Rinderspacher as he sang His Eye Is On the Sparrow and Amazing Grace and the congregation as they sang How Great Thou Art.

Casket bearers were her grandsons, Brent Dorman, Craig Dorman, Kevin Dorman, Scott Roberts, Rod Magerkurth, and Patrick Cronin. Honorary bearers were her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Katie Cronin, Kerry Cronin, Kelly Dorman, Danielle Dorman, Jamie Dorman, Debra Magerkurth, Joricia Schneider, Lara Schneider, Dennis Dorman, Joseph Dorman, Matt Roberts, Grant Magerkurth, Ben Magerkurth and Dan Magerkurth.

Interment was in Union Cemetery in rural Clarke County.