Mary Irene Hippensteel (Jackson)

Mary Irene Hippensteel passed away on February 18, 2021 in Oak Grove, MO, with her loving family by her side.
Mary was born on May 28, 1940 in Springfield, MO, the third child of Lewis Howard Jackson and Mary Louise Goudelock Jackson. Life on the rural family homestead during World War II was tough at times, but Mary learned the value of grit and hard work, including tending to the garden and the farm animals.
When she was a teenager, her family moved to the Independence area where her father owned a local gas station. She graduated from Van Horn High School in the class of 1958. The following year, she set off for California and lived with her older sister and brother-in-law. She took up a couple jobs as a swimsuit model and bookkeeper while soaking up the California sun. One night she went to a concert where a Navy service member named Robert Hippensteel was playing in the band. She and Bob quickly fell in love and married in Independence on March 5, 1960 – a day marked with incredible joy, happiness, and a surprise blizzard!
Bob and Mary stayed in a beach bungalow in their first year together and began their family soon after. Their son Tom was first-born. In 1962, they relocated to Independence, where Dave and Andy came a short time later and completed their family of five. They fell in love with an old farmhouse on the outskirts of Buckner and moved there in 1976. They called it home up until three years ago, when Mary and Bob moved to Oak Grove.
Mary loved her life in the country. Although she spent her professional career as a tax preparer, bookkeeper, and also for the Vendo vending machine company, she loved being outdoors. They kept a extensive garden and loved when harvest time came around so that she could can the produce and make her specialties: salsa, pickled beet relish, and bread & butter pickles, just to name a few. No one could hold a candle to her hamburgers!
Mary truly enjoyed gatherings with family and friends, which usually included a pot of coffee and perhaps a game of Rook. Memories of family vacations to California and Kenora, Ontario held a special place in her heart. She was incredibly giving, thoughtful, and generous – she would help anyone in need. Mary and her sons were actively involved in Boy Scouts, and she never hesitated to help them through college. She was past president and active member of Beta Sigma Phi – she and her sorority helped create what is now known as Ronald McDonald House. Even perfect strangers who came up a few dollars short at the grocery store checkout, she’d immediately step in. She took it upon herself to nurse her brother back to health, often going without food or sleep herself. With all the accolades that could be said about Mary, she always remained humble, and never sought the spotlight for her good deeds. Her compassionate spirit is her eternal legacy, and she lives on in the hearts and minds of all who knew her.
Mary is survived by her husband and sweetheart of nearly 61 years, Bob; son Tom and his wife Laurie Hippensteel and their children Jordan and Mollie Hippensteel, son Dave and his wife Shirlene Hippensteel and their children Michael Hippensteel, Kimberly Smith, and Owen Craig, and son Andrew and his wife Saori Hippensteel and their children Megen and Mia Hippensteel; brother Jerry and Marilynn Jackson; sister Patricia Hippensteel; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family who affectionately knew her as “Aunt Mimi.”
She was preceded in death by her parents, two sisters Jean Wagener and Sue Hayes, and one brother Lewis Howard Jackson, Jr.
A visitation will be held on Wednesday, February 24, from 6-8pm, at Carson-Speaks Chapel, 1501 W. Lexington Ave. in Independence. A funeral service will be on Thursday, February 25, at 10am, at the chapel. Due to county restrictions, seating is limited. The service will be livestreamed via Speaks Chapels Facebook page, as well as video recorded and posted to her web page. She will be laid to rest in Mount Washington Cemetery.
Online condolences may be expressed at www.speakschapel.com (Arr: Carson-Speaks Chapel 816-252-7900)