Mary Katherine "Mary Kay" (Cunningham) Conley (2016)
CONLEY, CUNNINGHAM, HARRELL, AGUILAR, ENGLISH
Posted By: Shirley Keating (email)
Date: 5/22/2016 at 22:42:56
Des Moines Register
Des Moines, Iowa
Sunday, May 22, 2016Mary Kay Conley, Des Moines
Mary Kay Conley, 80, passed away Saturday, May 14, 2016, at Unity Point Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. Memorial services will be held 10 a.m. Thursday, June 16, 2016 at The Caspe Terrace, 33158 Ute Ave., Waukee, Iowa. Private inurnment will be held prior to the service at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter.
Mary Kay was born October 31, 1935, in Winterset, Iowa, to John and Katherine (Harrell) Cunningham. She married Gerald "Jerry" Conley on January 5, 1957 in Winterset, Iowa.
Mary Kay was a 2nd grade teacher for Des Moines Public Schools for 41 years, retiring in 1997. She was a member of many book clubs.
Mary Kay is survived by her husband, Jerry Conley, her son, Mark (Elias Rincon Aguilar) Conley of Windsor Heights, Iowa, and her brother, John (Barbara English) Cunningham of Winterset, Iowa She was preceded in death by her parents, John Edward and Katherine Julia (Harrell) Cunningham.
Family will receive friends from 5 - 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 15, 2016, at Iles-Westover Chapel. Contributions may be made to the Animal Rescue League of Iowa or Iowa Weimaraner Rescue. Online condolences will be welcomed at IlesCares.com.
________________________Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, June 08, 2016MARY KAY (CUNNINGHAM) CONLEY,
A consummate traveler, Mary Katherine (Mary Kay) Conley embarked upon life’s ultimate journey May 14, 2016. She was 80.
Mary Kay’s farewell tour will kick off Wednesday, June 15, 5-7 p.m., when family will greet friends at Iles Funeral Home-Westover Chapel. Final send-off will begin 10 a.m. Thursday, June 16, in Bucksbaum Auditorium at Caspe Terrace (33158 Ute Avenue, Waukee) where family will host a meal planned by Mary Kay at 11 a.m. Per Mary Kay’s request, those attending should wear bright colors and jeans – no black.
The oldest child of John E. and Katherine J. (Harrell) Cunningham, Mary Kay arrived on a stormy Halloween night at her family home in Winterset, Iowa. Known throughout life as Mary Kay, she delighted in the nicknames –Casey, Mary Kat and, most recently, Mary Cake given by adoring friends. Her birthday meant she loved all things Halloween, save for spiders real or fake which she greeted with a shriek, a shudder and often a quick exit.
A lifelong learner, Mary Kay attended St. Joseph’s Academy in Des Moines before graduating from Winterset High School in 1954. She attended Drake University, receiving a bachelor’s degree in 1960 and a master’s degree in 1970. While at Drake, she bewitched a dashing naval petty officer, Jerry Conley, whom she married on Jan. 5, 1957.
In 1956 at DeSoto, Iowa, Mary Kay embarked upon a distinguished 41-year career as an elementary school teacher. In 1960, she joined the Des Moines Public Schools, teaching at McKinley, Monroe, Cattell, Douglas, Greenwood, Windsor and Watrous elementary schools. Recognized as an exemplary and caring teacher, Mary Kay especially enjoyed teaching reading, math and English-as-a-learning-language students. In the mid-1980s, she was nominated for Iowa Teacher of the Year.
A white-knuckle flyer, but expert map reader, Mary Kay loved travel and claimed her bag was always packed. Among her favorite places were Ireland, Italy and Spain which she visited multiple times with Jerry. The two also enjoyed memorable cruises to Alaska, the Baltic, Hawaii, Panama and South America (twice). Visiting nearly every state over her lifetime, Mary Kay cherished multiple “pilgrimages” to Harlingen, New Orleans, New York City, Savannah, Taos and Washington, D.C.
A true foodie, Mary Kay clipped and read countless recipes and will be remembered for gut-busting, sumptuous brunches and Thanksgiving dinners and truly authentic paella.
An avid reader, she kept pace with the demands of three book clubs where she freely expressed her opinion of good and bad reads and her high esteem for the writings of Gwendolyn Brooks, Willa Cather, Dick Francis and Langston Hughes.
Above all, Mary Kay was her own person, beholden to no one. She was liked and was generous to people who are kind. Those she liked knew it. Those she didn’t knew it, too.
Mary Kay is survived by her brother, John Cunningham (Barb English) of Winterset; her husband of 59 years, Jerry of Des Moines; son, Mark (Elias Rincon Aguilar) of Windsor Heights; and many treasured friends.
She was preceded in life by her parents and several beloved dogs.
Friends may remember Mary Kay by supporting the Animal Rescue League of Iowa or Iowa Weimaraner Rescue. And if not, simply, “read a good book, have a stiff drink and be nice to each other, damn it."
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