Mary Ellen Kirkendall

Mary Ellen Kirkendall, 103, of Sloan, Iowa, passed away February 7, 2023, at Stonebridge Senior Living Center in Osage Beach, Missouri.

 A private family memorial graveside service will be held. Arrangements are under the direction of Goslar Funeral Home and Monuments, Onawa, Iowa.

Mary Ellen was born August 1, 1919, in Sloan, Iowa, the daughter of James and Grace (Ernst) Walpole. She grew up in Sloan, Iowa, and lived there her entire life. Mary said she was a woman ahead of her time. She attended Morningside University and The University of Iowa.

Mary and Jess Kirkendall were united into marriage on November 22, 1940, in Sloan, Iowa. To this union five children were born, Candace, Jay, James, Kirk, and Daniel.

The two farmed the Walpole family farm. She was proud of the Walpole Heritage Farm. The farm has had continuous ownership for over 150 years, making it a rarity. She built the Kirkendall Apartments and the Sloan Drive Inn, which she ran until her retirement in 1989.

Mary was a lady of history. What children study today she found to be part of everyday life. She lived under 19 presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Joe Biden.  The end of WW1 and the Spanish Flu Pandemic had ended the year prior to Mary’s birth. Women’s suffrage ended and women gained the right to vote in 1920. Charles Lindberg flies nonstop to Paris and Amelia Earhart crosses the Atlantic. She lived through the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001. Four wars occurred during her lifetime, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Desert Storm.  The Great Depression and Prohibition were within her lifetime. The Berlin Wall was built and years later torn down. Roe vs. Wade was passed in 1973 and overturned in 2022. Space exploration from the first man to orbit the earth, to landing on the moon, mars exploration, and NASA flies by Pluto in 2015. There were many historical events that occurred too numerous to mention.  One event that she would have made sure was mentioned was the founding of McDonald’s in 1940 (for you Gemma). Probably the most devastating event for Mary was the COVID-19 Pandemic when she lost her two oldest sons, Jay and Jim, to the virus.

Mary loved her family and was proud of each and every one of the “clan” as she called it.

Survivors include her daughter, Candace Maynard of Rocky Mount, Missouri; daughters-in-law, Karen of Sloan, Iowa, Linda of Sloan, Iowa, Sue of Sioux City, Iowa, and Bonnie of Camdenton, Missouri; thirteen grandchildren; twenty-six great-grandchildren; and ten great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Jess Kirkendall; her parents, James and Grace (Ernst) Walpole; four sons, Jay Kirkendall, James Kirkendall, Kirk Kirkendall, and Daniel Kirkendall; brother, Edward Walpole; and sister, Catherine Wilde.

Condolences may be left online for the family at www.goslarfuneralhome.com

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