Mary Lee McCaffree

Mary Lee McCaffree, age 76, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, August 19, 2024. She was a beautiful woman, a loving wife, and a perfect mother and grandmother whose radiance and kind spirit will never be forgotten by those who were fortunate enough to have known her.

Lee was born on September 1, 1947, in Galveston, TX and was the eldest child of Frank J. Torregrossa and Mary Lou Torregrossa. As they say in Galveston, she was BOI (born on island) and lived there until graduating from Ball High School in 1965. She then attended college at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1969. It was here that she would meet her husband, Carl. After college, she briefly taught school in Garland, TX before marrying Carl in 1970 and moving to Topeka to teach at Topeka High while Carl was in law school. They eventually settled in the Kansas City area, which became their permanent home.

Lee was passionate about the fine arts (she especially loved Broadway musicals) and was generous with her time. She never said no when someone needed help. She volunteered with a number of organizations including Music Theater Heritage, The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, The Nerman Museum of Art, the Arts Council of Johnson County, and The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. She was a 24-year member of the Lyric Opera Circle, and co-founder of the Shooting Stars Scholarship Fund for high school arts students in Johnson County. Additionally, she was a committee member of Hats Off to Mothers, a member of the Junior League of Kansas City, and a board member of the Kansas City Young Matrons. She was also a long-time member of Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral.

But perhaps Lee Lee’s (as her grandchildren called her) favorite way to spend time was with her family and friends. Maybe it was her Sicilian roots, but she loved nothing more than gathering her family together for lunches, birthdays, holidays, vacations, or a Sunday dinner. She was in her element surrounded by her kids and grandkids and was always the center of attention. She loved to take the kids shopping. She enjoyed getting everyone together to watch KU Basketball or an SMU or Chiefs football game. And we could always count on her to show up for swim meets, soccer, baseball, and basketball games, or whatever else her kids and grandkids were competing in. Her friends were almost as important to her as family, and she always looked forward to gathering people together for parties, happy hours, or a game of bridge.

Her kindness, positive energy, and bubbly personality were contagious. Her smile and laugh could light up a room. She was the brightest light in all our lives, the caretaker of everyone, and the matriarch of our family. She was the best part of our lives, and there will never be a day that goes by where we don’t think about her and smile.

Lee was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Mary Lou Torregrossa. She is survived by her husband Carl McCaffree, her brothers Joe (Ginger) Torregrossa of Plantersville, TX and Jack (Peggy) Torregrossa of Galveston, TX, her aunt Grace Green of Houston, TX, her children Matt (Abby) McCaffree of Leawood, KS, Jenna (Brian) Lock of Santa Fe, NM, and Mark (Drew) McCaffree of Loch Lloyd, MO, as well as 8 grandchildren: Caroline, Julia, Anna, Isabelle, James, and Lena McCaffree, and Owen and Vivan Lock.

A funeral service will be held at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th Street, Kansas City, MO, on September 6 at 1:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Music Theater Heritage and The Lyric Opera of Kansas City.