Mary Francis Haughinberry

Mary Frances Haughinberry, 91, Prairie Village, Kansas, passed away October 19, 2013. Visitation will be held 10:00 -11:00 a.m., Tuesday, October. 22 at the Chapel of Hope at Mt. Moriah & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri. Graveside service will follow at 11:00 a.m.

Mary was the only child of Frances and Charles Woodcock, who preceded her in death. She grew up in the Kansas City and Meadville area, graduating from Meadville High School. She graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri in 1941 and went on to obtain her teaching credentials from Northwest Missouri State College, now Truman State University.

Her teaching career began at Wheeling, Missouri where she taught 4th, 5th and 6th grades. From Wheeling, she went on to teach 5th grade at Lamar and LaJunta, Colorado. Determined to get her bachelor’s degree, she returned to Columbia during the summers. She received her bachelor’s degree in education in 1949 from the University of Missouri.

She then moved to Albuquerque, NM where she taught 5th grade. It was in Albuquerque where she met her husband, Charles (Chuck). In the early 1950s, they returned to Prairie Village, Kansas. She retired from teaching and devoted herself to being a mother and homemaker to her daughter, Sue, and husband, Chuck. In later years, she loved to travel and had been around the world and could name over 50 countries she had visited. In recent years, her travels took her to Las Vegas and Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, having been there as recent as this past spring. She loved going to the boat and playing penny slots and had good wins the Friday before she passed. In addition to traveling, she like going to antique shows, reading, doing origami and watching sports on TV.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband, Chuck, in 1965. She is survived by her daughter, Sue, a niece and nephews and their families.