Maryann Hollis, age 70, of Springfield passed away Saturday, June 29th, 2019 at Colonial Springs Care Center .
Maryann was born to Florence and Elzie Neitler on December 23, 1948 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Raised predominantly in Springfield, after the death of her father, Maryann grew up developing a fondness for art and learning. She carried this passion into adulthood earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SMSU in 1981.

Raising two children, Maryann worked locally as a creative professional in advertising and as a photographer for the Springfield Business Journal through the 1980's. After taking a position teaching photography at Drury University she would discover great joy as an educator.

Maryann spent the remainder of her career at the WINGS gifted education program for Springfield Public Schools. In her own words, “I have always believed imagination, creativity, and the natural curiosity to learn should be cultivated in students as they begin their transition to adulthood.”

Maryann is survived by her two sons, Christopher and Carson; her daughter-in-law, Melissa; and her grandchildren, Darby and Ashley.

A celebration of Maryann's life will be held at 4:00pm, Sunday, July 14, 2019 at Greenlawn Funeral Home South. The family will receive friends from 3 pm until service time.

In lieu of flowers the family requests a donation to Cure Alzheimer's Fund (www.curealz.org) or the Nelson- Atkins Museum of Art ( www.nelson-atkins.org.)