Mary Ann Wilson was born in 1942 and crossed over to her next adventure on
May 5, 2020. Nicknamed “Bitsy” as a child, she was the first of three children born to Walter and Ruth Wilson of Independence, MO, and is preceded in death by them as well as by her younger brother, Danny. She leaves behind her sister Marty Pointer of Kansas City, her niece Jen Strege & great-nephew Danek Strege of Ramsey, MN, and a host of friends and loved ones.
Mary Ann graduated from Fort Osage High School in 1960 and from Emporia, KS State Teacher’s College in 1964, with degrees in English and Biology. She taught high school in Iola, KS for two years and in Overbrook, KS for a year. But by far her favorite teaching experiences were with the Kansas City Museum, where she conducted classes for visiting elementary school students for fifteen years.
From a very young age, Mary Ann was interested in the natural world, from astronomy (as a teenager, she had a real telescope), to wildlife, to entomology – the study of insects, butterflies and moths – to forestry. Upon graduation from high school, she applied to the US Forestry Service seeking a career as a forest ranger, and was told at that time that females did not qualify. But her love of nature inspired everyone around her to be respectful and appreciative of all living things, and to overcome fears of such creatures as bats, snakes and spiders, who are generally harmless and have valuable roles in the world. Mary Ann was a devotee of Koko, the gorilla who learned and used sign language, and she cried when Koko died in 2018. She worried about honey bees and mourned the wildlife lost in the Australian fires.
In her young adult years, Mary Ann developed a lasting attraction to all things historical (this may have stemmed from her work at the museum) and she began collecting historical objects: furniture, vintage books (especially for children), and Victorian entertainment devices. In the 1980’s and 90’s, she spent a great deal of time and effort researching the family’s genealogy. Walter’s family was difficult, as his ancestor had emigrated from Ireland, and the Wilson name was very common. She did have great success in tracing Ruth’s family all the way back to “Old King Cole”, who turned out to be a real person (125 a.d. – 170 a.d.) with an interesting story.
Mary Ann’s interest in the subject of Health grew as her Type I Diabetes, diagnosed in 1969, began causing her some issues. She was drawn to alternative medicine, subscribed to several health newsletters, and later became a follower of Dr. Joseph Mercola (https://www.mercola.com/), permanently incorporating and sharing his ideas regarding vitamin supplementation, organic food consumption and the stringent avoidance of substances implicated in physical and mental diseases.
It was probably her discoveries in the health area that paved the way for Mary Ann’s political activism beginning in the 1990’s. She gathered many compatriots in passionately protesting the Independence City Council’s plans to fluoridate the city’s water supply, and was tireless in her efforts to save some of the best tap water in the country from a decidedly unhealthy fate. Ultimately, her consistent efforts paid off as the Council voted to table the issue indefinitely. Other issues regarding which Mary Ann participated in protesting to the Council were the Courtney Ridge landfill, the Save the Woods effort, and the most recent successful drive to prevent the installation of Smart Meters – all of which reflected her desire for good health for all. During this time, Mary Ann also campaigned successfully for several city council candidates, and until the day she died, she was a devoted fan and champion of Presidential candidate Ron Paul.
She cared for her mother, who suffered from dementia, at home until Ruth’s death in 2007, then lived alone in the family home, very independently, for the remainder of her life.
As she became more housebound in recent years, Mary Ann continued to support political efforts from her home, and at the same time began putting a lot of time and energy into encouraging, by telephone, her numerous friends regarding their personal concerns. She felt it was a worthwhile way to spend her days. Even in hospice care, she felt and expressed concern for so many people she loved.
Mary Ann was an intelligent, curious, engaged, and caring person, a unique and wonderful presence in the world. She is still loved and will be sorely missed by her small family and her many friends.
In lieu of flowers, she requested that any gifts in her memory be made to Dr. Denise Faustman’s very promising work with Type I Diabetes and auto-immune diseases. The address is: The Cure Diabetes Now Fund, c/o Massachusetts General Hospital Development Office, 125 Nashua St, Suite 540, Boston, MA 02114. She also mentioned The Nature Conservancy, P.O. Box 440400, St. Louis, MO 63144 as an alternative gift destination.
A celebration of life gathering is planned for the future.
