Mary Alice Withers

Mary Alice Ihrig Withers, 88, of Via Christi in Georgetown, and formerly Derby, KS died Monday, December 28, 2015 in Life Care Center, Andover, KS. Mary was born, June 4, 1927, in Hannibal, MO, the daughter of the late Elmer Earl and Alice Kern Ihrig, Hannibal, MO. She was married to John Samuel Withers on July 29th, 1983. He preceded her in death on June 25, 2010.

Mary is survived by her twin sister, Margaret Christianson, Mechanicsburg, PA, and sister, Ruth Foreman (G.W.), Hannibal, MO, six nephews and three nieces.

Visitation will be from 1-8 PM Sunday, January 3 at Smith Mortuary, 1415 N. Rock Road, Derby, KS with family greeting friends from 4-6 PM. Funeral service will be 10 AM Monday at Woodlawn United Methodist Church, 431 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Derby, KS. Burial will be held at Grand View Funeral Home and Burial Park, Hannibal, MO at 12 PM, Tuesday, January 5, 2015.

Mary was a graduate of Hannibal High School, Hannibal-LaGrange Junior College, and Shurtleff College in Alton, IL. She received a Master’s Degree in English from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. and a Ph.D. in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mary taught at the high school and college level for over 30 years. She was a member of the Mars Hill College English department from 1960 to 1983. In 1972, she was named as one of the “Outstanding Educators of America.” In 1982, she authored a reference book on the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson titled Emerson’s Transcendental Vocabulary: A Concordance. She was also an instructor of summer Elderhostel courses on Thomas Wolfe.

Mary was the organist and a member at Mars Hill Baptist Church in N.C. for many years. She became a member of Woodlawn United Methodist Church, Derby, KS in 1983, where she enjoyed singing in the choir and served as church historian. She was active in numerous community organizations including the Picture Person Project in the Derby, KS school district, the Wichita Literacy Project, Delta Kappa Gamma and PEO.

Memorials have been established with the church or Mars Hill University, P.O Box 370, Mars Hill, NC 28754. Smith Mortuary, Derby, KS is in charge of arrangements.

Monday, January 04, 2016

10:00 AM

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