Mary Elizabeth Gauthier

Mary Elizabeth Gauthier died peacefully of natural causes at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in the pre-dawn hours of February 8, 2022, four days after she attained her 99th birthday. Through her characteristic foresight, Mary had placed herself under the care of the professional staff at Presbyterian Manor in Lawrence, where she resided during her final three years.

Mary was born on February 4, 1923 in Corning, Iowa as the third of six children. Early photographic evidence and long memories confirm that as the sole female child among five male siblings Mary’s daily wardrobe was limited to androgenous overalls; but they also document the wry wit and sense independence for which she became both admired and notorious as she aged gracefully.

Mary’s dad, Albert, was the editor/publisher of the Adams County Free Press where all family members contributed to the service of the community through the weekly gathering and publishing of the news in southwest Iowa. Maturing during the Great Depression infused providence into Mary’s soul but not at the expense of the generosity she instinctively extended to everyone she encountered.

Observing her parents endure the common anxiety of having three sons in precarious theaters of war in the early 1940s and watching as too many families received the dreaded Western Union telegrams that found their way into the Free Press offices, Mary incorporated empathy, compassion, and a resolute faith in the teachings of the Roman Catholic church into her fundamental identity.

Mary’s mother, Grace, was also an enduring influence in her life. When Albert died suddenly on Christmas Eve in 1949, Mary, her siblings, and a young “country girl” named Ilene Maeder who had moved into the household, collaborated to sustain Gramma Grace while she became the adhesive that held the family together.

As Grace aged, Mary embraced and held the extended family together even as it expanded from its Iowa roots to other states. By the time Grace died in 1971, Mary had become Family Central, meticulously monitoring the whereabouts and activities of her siblings and their families.

After attending Ottumwa Heights College and earning a B.A. from Marycrest Collège in Davenport, Iowa in 1951, Mary applied her office management training in multiple academic and business venues, including Marycrest and the Free Press, before becoming the Business Education Instructor at Corning High School in 1952.

In June of 1959 Mary made the bold and fateful decision to accept a position as the Coordinator of Office Education at Lawrence High School. That decision altered the trajectories of countless lives, including those of her family, LHS students and staff even long after she “retired” in 1986.

During her nearly three decades at LHS Mary established herself as a distinguished educator beloved by her students and professional peers.

Her memories of that career transition to Lawrence featured her respect for the USD 497 administrators who hired her and LHS staff members with whom she formed lifelong bonds of friendship and loyalty. She loved to share those feelings and reflections with others, especially the younger generations.

Mary’s recitations of that history and those anecdotes were also noteworthy for their humility, accuracy, and concentration on everyone but her. She appreciated, quietly, the multiple accolades she has received for her service to public education and business.

In 1980 Mary received the H.D. Shotwell Individual Service Award from Office Education of Kansas, and in 1975, the Kansas Vocational Association named her the state’s Outstanding Master Vocational Educator.

Mary also took pride, quietly, in her participation in and contributions to the Lawrence Business and Professional Women’s Club and St. John’s Catholic Church.

A singular indulgence Mary allowed herself was the personal connection with her namesake, Mary Gauthier, a New Orleans born and Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who resides in Nashville, TN. Many years ago, Lawrence Mary was visiting her brother Dude and his family in Nashville. The two Marys encountered each other at one of Nashville Mary’s music performances there and they became gracious friends over the years.

Mary’s contributions to the Lawrence business community enrich it even decades later as her former students approach the twilight of careers she and her colleagues in the LHS Business Education Department opened for them.

Countless children of those students also bear and appreciate the renowned Mary Gauthier brand.

Mary is survived by her youngest brother, Gerald (“Dude”), sister-in-law, Cleo, and eighteen of her twenty-two nieces and nephews, along with three generations of their progeny. Mary sustained the deaths of her brothers Paul, Robert, Phillip, and Raymond; three sisters-in-law, Marcia, Mary Alice, and Mary Lou; one niece, Margaret; and three nephews, Michael, Christopher and Albert Leo, Jr.

Mary also is survived by countless friends in Lawrence, throughout the country, and at Presbyterian Manor where staff and residents miss her dearly. Many of those friends, including the Visiting Nurse Association and Meals on Wheels, earned Mary’s and her family’s gratitude for their years of service to her before she moved into Presbyterian Manor.

A Rosary will be recited at 6:00 p.m. with a visitation to follow until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, 2022 at Warren-McElwain Mortuary in Lawrence.

Memorial masses will be held for Mary at St. John’s Catholic Church in Lawrence at 10:00 a.m. on March 4, 2022, and at her home parish, St. Patrick’s Church, in Corning, Iowa on April 9, 2022. To live-stream Mary’s service: https://youtu.be/lLNFYmANrxw

Burial ceremonies will be conducted at Calvary Cemetery in Corning following the mass with a reception at the historic Opera House there.

Memorials honoring Mary may be sent to St. John Catholic Church, Visiting Nurses Association, or the Lawrence School Foundation scholarship program and may be sent in care of Warren-McElwain Mortuary, 120 W. 13th Street, Lawrence, KS  66044.

21 Condolences

  1. Dixie Ravgiala on February 11, 2022 at 11:44 am

    Mary was a wonderful teacher. Such a nice person everyone loved. I remember going to her 90th birthday celebration. She never seemed to age. So upbeat and smiling.



  2. Tamara (Biggerstaff) Wilkerson on February 11, 2022 at 1:57 pm

    I have such fond memories of Mary as my Office Education teacher at Lawrence High. Then, later it was fun to see her at church. She always had a smile on her face. Mary was a dear person and will be missed.



  3. Joyce Cromwell on February 12, 2022 at 9:05 am

    Great Memories of a great lady and. Awesome teacher!! So sorry for your loss. She was the sweetest!!



  4. Teresa (Biggerstaff) Hinkle on February 12, 2022 at 11:31 am

    I learned a great deal from Mary when she was my Office Education teacher/advisor at LHS. She was a wonderful woman with lots of spunk, a wonderful sense of humor, and an infectious smile. You couldn’t help but be in a good mood when you were around her. She will be missed by so many people. My deepest sympathy to her family and friends.



  5. Julie Rea on February 12, 2022 at 9:54 pm

    What an amazing teacher and mentor for so many. She touched so many lives and taught me skills that helped me into adulthood jobs that I may not have been as skilled to do if it weren’t for her and Lois Groh during my office education years at LHS. God bless.



  6. Mary Whitaker Davidson on February 13, 2022 at 8:48 am

    What a great women! She was so bright-smart and joy filled. I knew her through school and church and enjoyed visiting with her anytime. She is in my prayers.



  7. Miriam Mitchel on February 13, 2022 at 6:22 pm

    Ms. Gauthier was such a humble and kind teacher. She was the one teacher that made a huge impact in my life. My heartfelt condolences. LHS Office Education President 1984.



  8. Patty supancic on February 13, 2022 at 8:07 pm

    Mary was such a wonderful person and fabulous teacher for office education. Through the years we saw each other and had a recreation class together. Lessons from her class have helped me through my business career. My sympathy to the family and friends.
    Patty Atkinson Supancic



  9. Beverly Votaw Gardner on February 14, 2022 at 4:55 pm

    Mary was a great teacher and cared about all her students. She helped me get my job after high school which I enjoyed and retired after 49 years. She always sent Christmas cards and always had a smile when she saw me years later. She will be missed.



  10. Bill Dodd on February 14, 2022 at 10:28 pm

    Always the smile, the teacher, generous, kind, and adventuresome to the end. She followed her namesake (unrelated by blood but perhaps not in spirit), attending pop/rock concerts and garnering support to hear her sing. Somewhat of a raconteuse of her travels too. I’ll miss her.



  11. Betty and Mark Currie on February 15, 2022 at 9:59 pm

    We were sad to hear of the passing of Mary. She was so full of life and laughter when at LHS and after her retirement. She was an icon for many social events. Our deepest empathy for her family. Mark and Betty Currie



  12. Linda Ingalls on February 15, 2022 at 10:21 pm

    Mary was a great teacher. She made learning so fun plus everything helped with all my business positions. She always was such a wonderful person to be around . She will be missed.



  13. Kate Hunsinger on February 18, 2022 at 5:50 pm

    Ms Gauthier was one of the greatest Teachers!! She will be missed.



  14. Shirley (Shirk) Anderson on February 18, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    Ms. Gauthier was an awesome teacher and mentor. I was fortunate to have many wonderful teachers during my education but Ms. Gauthier was largely responsible for my success as an adult in the business world. She was smart, loving, a great educator and funny. I will miss her but I will forever have my special memories of Ms. Mary Gauthier.



  15. Patty McGrew on February 21, 2022 at 10:03 am

    God Bless you, Mary Gauthier. I only passed by you in the halls at LHS, never having had you as a teacher. Still you always remembered me in later life, greeting me warmly each time we met.
    What a mentor you have been! A life well -lived in service to all.



  16. Rich Noever on February 21, 2022 at 2:54 pm

    Mary was such a fine person. She always had warm smile and a pleasant greeting. I saw Mary pretty often as we were neighbors. She had such a positive impact on so many.



  17. Cathy Ebmeier on February 21, 2022 at 4:01 pm

    I was sorry to hear of Mary Gauthier’s passing. I only knew her through Delta Kappa Gamma, but I know she will be missed by many. Please accept my sincere sympathies.



  18. Jean Finch on February 22, 2022 at 9:44 am

    Mary is the most gracious person I’ve ever known. I so wanted to buy her house, because being there I could sense her ever teaching me how to live. I have missed her for a long while now, but it’s my own fault. I could’ve visited her at Presbyterian Manor. I’m so very sorry I went only twice. Once again, Mary teaches me in her passing the real truth I had failed to learn. So I offer to her what she regularly said in conversation, “Thank you for that!” Yet it was always Mary who deserved my gratitude.



  19. Eugenia Leasure Bryan on February 23, 2022 at 11:51 am

    One never really knows the impact on lives encountered along the pathways of life. But Mary surely had a powerful good one for all. She was gracious, wise and positive to all she encountered. And, yes, she remembered everyone she met in such a personal manner. She will be sorely missed for those who remain but one can truly say, “Well done, my faithful servant. Well done.” Eugenia Leasure Bryan



  20. Rev. Dinah Dutta on March 3, 2022 at 8:08 pm

    The time we spent together visiting are the best times I had at the manor. The theological, political, and religious insights you shared with me uplifted me each day.
    I cannot tell you how much I miss you. I know you are with the Lord and I am happy. I cannot wait to see you Mary.



  21. Pam Burkhead on March 4, 2022 at 9:27 am

    Let your conscience be your guide…I still recall her walking by our desks and saying those words…as we pondered checking that box…. those words still hang with me today. Thank you Miss Gauthier.



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