Mary Titus Murray passed peacefully on April 11, 2021. She was born Oct. 2, 1928 in Great Bend, Kan. to Ray and Gladys (Asher) Titus. She grew up on a farm south of Great Bend before moving to town where she graduated from high school. She attended Lindenwood College, St. Charles, Mo., Fort Hays University, and received her bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.

She married John Murray, in 1949 and began farming. In her early years she taught at Stafford Elementary School, Park Elementary School, and Heizer Elementary School before moving to Tucson in 1968, and continued teaching in the Tucson Elementary School District. She loved teaching, writing letters to friends and family, gardening, looking for arrow heads, and her dogs and cats.

She moved to Overland Park, Kan. in 2006 and resided with her daughter, Elizabeth. In 2018 she moved to Villa St. Francis, Olathe, Kan. Mom never met a stranger. She was kind, considerate, loving, and caring to everyone she met. She loved all her children, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.  

The KC Royals and KC Chiefs were her favorite sports teams.  

Mary raised five children, two with Cystic Fibrosis, and two foster daughters. She was preceded in death by her oldest son, John and youngest daughter, Marianne. Survivors include her daughter, Elizabeth; two sons, Daniel and Benjamin; and two foster daughters, Jennifer and Karmin; five grandchildren, and four great grandchildren (another on the way).

Graveside services to be held at the Great Bend Cemetery later this year.

Funeral arrangements provided by

Cremation Society of Kansas & Missouri

8837 Roe Avenue

Prairie Village, KS  66207

Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, April 25, 2021