Mary Joanna (Shaver) Breedlove, age 88, of Lamar, Missouri, passed away Saturday night, September 9, 2017, at Truman Healthcare Center.
Mary was born May 2, 1929, in Joplin, Missouri, the third of the five children and only daughter of George B. and Mary Barbara (Trautwein) Shaver. She was preceded in death by her parents and two brothers, George Paul Shaver and John Wesley Shaver.
Survivors include her son, John (Nga) Breedlove, Waltham, Massachusetts; two grandsons, Paul and Brian; five great grandchildren, Alex, Will, Ethan, Clancey, and Paul, Jr.; two brothers, Gerald Shaver and Charlie (Vicky) Shaver, all of Lamar; many nephews and nieces; and a large extended family.
After graduating as valedictorian of Liberal High School class of 1947, Mary went on to become a registered nurse. Entering the U.S. Army Nurse Corp in 1951, she was stationed at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, ministering to the wounded of the Korean Conflict. Returning to civilian life, Mary continued her nursing career in hospitals in Tennessee, Georgia, Joplin, Missouri, and Barton County Memorial Hospital for many years. A life-long learner, Mary enrolled in Pittsburg State University, earned a bachelors and a master’s degree in physics and taught math at Nevada High School for a short time. Keeping her mind sharp and her hands busy in retirement, she was an avid reader, an ASPCA advocate and self-taught weaver, making rugs for family and friends. Mary was a member of Lamar American Legion and St. Mary’s Catholic Church.
A memorial funeral mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. Friday, September 15th at St. Mary’s Catholic Church with Rev. Patrick Teter officiating. Committal of ashes will be in Forest Park Cemetery in Joplin, Missouri.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Red Cross for Hurricane Relief.
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