Mrs Mary Margaret Flanner Gentry

Mary Margaret Flanner Gentry, 73, Omaha, NE, died Thursday, December 16, 2010 at Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, December 20, 2010, at Curé of Ars Catholic Church, 9401 Mission Road, Leawood, KS. Visitation will be from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, December 19th at McGilley State Line Chapel, where the Rosary will be prayed at 6:00 p.m.

Mary Margaret was born November 26, 1937 in Kankakee, Illinois to Walter and Wilma Flanner. After moving to Kansas City where she had many friends at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School and Redemptorist parish, she went to college at Mount St. Scholastica College where she met her future husband, William Gentry. They were married in August of 1959 and were able to celebrate their 50th Anniversary last year surrounded by friends and family. Mary Margaret and her family were fortunate to live in various cities and had the opportunity to make wonderful friends in Fargo, North Dakota and Omaha, Nebraska. She had been residing in Omaha these last 20 years enjoying her friends and co-workers at Eye Care West.

Mary Margaret is survived by her husband Bill, son Michael and his wife Mary of Leawood, Kansas, daughter Marianne and her husband Dan, of Decatur, Illinois, daughter Kathleen and her husband Paul of Wichita, Kansas, and daughter Julie, of Houston, Texas, grandchildren Becky, Katie, Brian, Libby, Eric, Zach and Alex, sister Suzanne and many nieces and nephews, family and friends. Mary Margaret was preceded in death by her parents and brothers Walter and Dick.

Eulogy by Kathleen (Gentry) Harrison

Our Mother

Mary Margaret, Mimi, Mary, or Mom… However you referred to our mother you soon found it easy to become close friends, a Flanner family trait. Mom loved people. She wanted people to be happy, but also to like and know her. She made an effort to get to know others…listen to their stories, problems, or life issues. While growing up all of our friends we brought home liked mom, some of them even jealous. She treated everyone she met with genuine respect and care. Our mother blessed others…

Mom said her biggest blessing in her life was to be able to stay home and raise us kids. By devoting her life to us rather than a job, career, or hobby she instilled in each of us a true sense of worth. Mom never once felt like she was missing out by spending time taking care and raising us. Her job was to make us into successful adults. She accomplished this goal which can also be seen in her 7 highly successful grandchildren who mom is extremely proud of. What a legacy she has left!

Our mother’s world didn’t just center around us kids; she also was a devoted wife to our dad. She taught us the importance of a stable relationship and how to compromise with the one you love. In later years, she graciously allowed my dad to fix and pour her coffee, clean up the dishes after meals, and paint her toenails on request. That is true dedication. Obviously, it takes a great person to earn this kind of love and respect from her children and husband.

Mom also said her worst enemy was miles. As we grew up, jobs and spouses took all of us to other locations. She hated being away from us. So we can’t forget all the people mom adopted along the way. She adopted a sister, Judy, when we lived up north who continued to be mom’s best friend. We would be amiss not to mention mom’s adopted daughters in Omaha, Bridget, Lisa, Sharon, Heidi and the others in Dr. G’s office who looked after mom. We heard their stories and they heard ours and they will remain in our thoughts.

We can’t forget mom’s wonderful sister Suzanne and brother-in-law Tom. They are her family and also close friends. Suzanne and Tom were dedicated to mom up to the very end. A very special time was when Suzanne and Tom hosted our parent’s 50th Wedding anniversary in their beautiful backyard just 16 short months ago. This event allowed us all to catch up with family. Mom got to spend time with old friends, her nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and family from afar.

We know there are no coincidences in life. We were very blessed to have all the family come into Kansas City over Thanksgiving. Mom got to begin Thanksgiving Day with Suzanne and Tom’s annual Thanksgiving cocktail party where she was able to visit with her nieces Amy and Nancy whom she loves dearly, her nephews Craig and Matthew, to visit with all the Conrad’s for Thanksgiving dinner, and see all the grandchildren that evening. The following day we were able to do “lunch” and have a wonderful, intimate birthday party that evening with cake and presents and everyone there to sing Happy Birthday. There’s no better way to remember our mom, but by being surrounded by those she loved. We thank you for coming today and celebrating our mom’s life.