Myra Mae Devine, 92, of Pleasant Valley, MO passed away September 13, 2019, at Liberty Hospital in Liberty, MO. Myra was born May 26, 1927 to Thomas H. and Merle L. (Wiley) Bemis in Springfield, IL. She grew up in Brown County, IL, and graduated from Versailles High School in Versailles, IL. She attended Western Illinois State Teachers College in Macomb, IL.
As a child, she and her siblings enjoyed playing at her Grandma and Grandpa Wiley's farm. During the Great Depression, her family would go to Mt. Sterling to sell milk and eggs. She began making a change in her world when she taught in a one-room school during WWII, in support of the war. Myra moved to Kansas City, MO in 1947 to marry Horace Thurman “Pepper” Walpole. She married Pepper on January 6, 1948. The couple had three daughters whom they raised in the Kansas City area. Pepper passed away in April of 1978. In December of 1981, she married William John “Bill” Devine. After Bill’s passing in October of 1998, Myra remained in the Kansas City area.
She was an owner/broker of Walpole and Assoc. Real Estate, owned the W bar W Western Ranch along with Pepper, and was employed by Farmland Industries for a number of years. People often remarked on her resemblance to Joan Crawford, and she was known for singing with the Bemis sisters and bowling a perfect 300. In her free time, she enjoyed reading books, astrology, raising her toy poodles, and listening to her country music. Her adventurous side showed when she learned to fly a Cessna 182 Airplane.
Myra was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands: Pepper and Bill, her daughter Linda Garza, brother Thomas Wilford “Bill” Bemis, and sisters Bertha Sievers-Petitt and Wilma Bernelle Selle. She was also preceded by one grandchild and one great grandchild.
She is survived by two daughters; Martha (Steven) Wartick of Cedar Falls, IA, and Suzanne (Joseph) Colbert of Gladstone, MO, five grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren. Also surviving are many nieces, nephews, and close friends.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for 1:00 PM on October 5th, 2019 at the Church-Archer-Pasley Funeral Home, 119 E. Franklin St., Liberty, MO 64068. In lieu of flowers, the family request contributions be given to a charity of your choice in Myra’s name.
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