Mary Anne Dwyer was born August 31, 1924, to James Edward Dwyer and Cora P. Main Dwyer. She passed away on January 27th, 2013, an earthly pilgrimage of 88 years, 4 months, and 28 days.
Mary Anne, the youngest of four children, was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Bill and Ed, and her sister Katherine. She is survived by her niece, Rebecca Kendrick; two nephews, James (and wife Sherry) and John Dwyer; by eight grand-nieces, Angela, Vicky, Ann, Cara, Colleen, Rose, Debbie, and Mary; and by two grand-nephews, Rodney and Joe.
A 1945 graduate of Southwest Missouri State Teachers College, Mary Anne worked several years for the Missouri Division of Family Services, where she retired as office manager in 1986.
She was a lifelong member of Grant Avenue Baptist Church where for many years she also sang in the choir.
Mary Anne lived her Christian Faith to the fullest. She was deeply caring of everyone around her, compassionate, and generous to those in need. She also possessed, however, a wonderful, if slightly mischievous, sense of humor. And this she used to lighten the loads of others with her infectious smile and contagious laugh. Never at a loss for words, “Auntie” was bubbly and fun—a joy to be around.
But she was also gifted with great strength of character and resolve when confronted by adversity. And these she demonstrated in her many-years-long-battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Mary Anne was a fighter. And although eventually, after much struggle and suffering, the disease would render her a seemingly helpless denizen of a nursing home, unable to walk, or even talk, and confined to a wheelchair, miraculously, she became her old self again. But even more so she found she didn’t need words to give joy to her fellow patients and the staff of Love Unit, Mercy Villa, St. Johns, where she spent the final four years of her life. Through hand-gesture, through smiles and laughter, and through the expression in her eyes, she radiated love to everyone. And it was truly God’s love. For it was He, and only He, who could have empowered her to defeat an otherwise all-consuming brain disease. Thus did Mary Anne Dwyer, despite a broken body, come to embody His miraculous and triumphant love.
The family of Mary Anne would like to express their boundless gratitude for the staff of Mercy Villa St. Johns who demonstrated their love for her, day and night for four years; and to Vada Yates and to Linda Tarwater, who gave so much of themselves to Mary Anne years prior to her confinement (and afterwards); and also especially for Mercy Villa Chaplain Ann Payette, Grant Avenue Pastor Harold Williams, Zion Church Pastor Jim Kendrick and Sister Joyce Kendrick, choir friend Barbara Morgan, and the Dwyer children, whose words of prayer, visits, and songs sung for our beloved Auntie and for us during her last few moments of earthly life were of such comfort. Thank you, and bless you, beloved friends and family.
We close with one of many of Mary Anne’s favorite scriptures, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”