Mary Mawby

Mary Cleo Quarles Mawby, 91, passed away on May 4, 2017, in Spring Hill, KS.

A visitation will be held from 4-6pm Monday, May 8, with funeral at 10am Tuesday, May 9, both at Speaks Suburban Chapel, 18020 E. 39th St. Interment to follow at Oak Ridge Memory Gardens.

Mary was born on a dairy farm April 12, 1926 in Nevada, MO the youngest of 8 children. Her parents were Lula and Harry Quarles. Her mother passed two years later. Generally known as Cleo, later in life she used the name Mary.

She enjoyed collecting eggs and helping her brother Ralph find some wire to fix the Model T. When the depression came her family often fed the hobos she found in the barn in exchange for a couple of hours of work. The hobos marked friendly homes with a yellow ribbon on the fence or a tree. The meals were simple; breakfast was eggs and some sausage or oatmeal. Lunch was just cabbage. Supper usually was potatoes. As times got harder the girls were sent to live with other family.

Mary Cleo attended Wilson School in Eldorado Springs and graduated from Nevada High School.
She shared an apartment with her niece Donis (Donnie) in Kansas City during World War II on Paseo Blvd. During the summer most residents slept outside and sometimes on the grassy median of the road. She worked at the telephone company as an operator. Donis maintained a lifelong friendship with her aunt Cleo.

In 1946 she met Frank Mawby, an Army veteran who worked at the phone company and was married July 25, 1946. They built a block house in Sugar Creek, MO next to Frank’s mother Fara Lewis and step-father Emil Lewis. Frank already had a son Ray Mawby who was six. On September 19, 1948 Cindy Mawby, her daughter, was born. In 1954 the Family moved to Westwood in Independence. On August 26, 1954, Terry Mawby, her son, was born. It was 108 degrees August 26 and in those days there was no air conditioning.
Mary Cleo stayed home for a few years with children but went back to work and worked at Tension Envelope and Liepsner Stamp until she was 65 years old.

Mary Cleo lived in Independence in many places until Frank Mawby died in 1985 at 65 years old. She moved to a trailer previously owned by Fara Lewis in a park in Grain Valley to be near Ray Mawby in 1986. Her daughter Cindy moved next door to her. Cindy passed in 1999 at 51 years old and she then lived in Cindy’s trailer. The trailer park was sold to improve Grain Valley city drainage, the stress of moving led to her first stroke. She suffered five strokes as time went on, going blind in 2013.

Around 2003 Mary Cleo moved to the Church owned apartment building Friendship Manor in Blue Springs. Mary Cleo had many friends at the Friendship Manor and jogged, walked, and gardened. Her door was always open to visitors. Ray passed in 2011 at 72 years old living in the same apartment building.
Mary Cleo attended First Baptist Church of Grain Valley for many years. Their homebound group kept touch with her when she could no longer attend.

Mary went to Golden Living Center in 2013 after a stroke left her blind. She had many friends there and did well for about 3 years health-wise.

She is survived by her son, Terry Mawby, and 8 grandchildren, about 25 great grand-children, and many great-great-grandchildren.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.speakschapel.com.