Mrs. Mary Katherine Pieper Long

She was a proud resident of Boonville, Missouri for 86 years.

A celebration of her life will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 10 at First Baptist Church in Boonville, with the Rev. Scott Paris officiating. The family will receive friends at the church from 12:30 to 2 p.m. after a private interment service at Walnut Grove Cemetery. Services are under the direction of Thacher Funeral Home, Boonville, MO.

Mary Katherine was born May 16, 1913, in St. Joseph, Missouri, to Margaret Frances Tuttle Pieper and William Phillip Pieper. She attended Boonville Public Schools and graduated from Boonville High School in 1931. From 1931 to 1933 Mary Katherine attended Central Methodist College. While at Central Methodist, she penned a column about the college scene for a Cooper county newspaper. She was a graduate of Bowen Institute of Pharmacy, and became a pharmacist for Pieper’s Drug Store in Boonville after achieving the highest score on the 1936 State Board of Pharmacy Exam.

She married Robert Edward Long on February 9, 1936 and they enjoyed 71 years of marriage. He preceded her in death on October 12, 2007.

In 1947, Mary Katherine and her husband Robert purchased Pieper’s Drug Shop from her parents and it became Long’s Drug Shop. They worked together as pharmacists until they retired in 1976.

In her retirement Mary Katherine helped promote and preserve Boonville in many ways. She was a founding member of Friends of Historic Boonville, a charter patron of the Missouri River Festival of the Arts and a supporter of Save the Katy Bridge. For 20 years she was chair of the Hain House Memorial Garden where a gazebo honoring Bunny and Bob Long now stands.

Mary Katherine was a 50 year member of Chapter GO of P.E.O. and a life-long member of First Baptist Church in Boonville. She was a devoted mother, grandmother and great grandmother who loved spending time with her family. Many who knew her have fond memories of the magnolia blossoms and bouquets she gave them as she shared her flower gardening talents. Her enthusiasm, creativity, sense of humor and resilience will continue to inspire all who knew her.

Mary Katherine is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Nancy and Loren Broaddus of Springfield, and her daughter and son-in-law, Linda and Tim Harlan of Columbia. She is survived by five grandchildren, Loren E. Broaddus (Marilyn) of Springfield, John M. Broaddus (Melissa) of Los Angeles, Robert M. Broaddus (Tammy) of Leawood, Kansas, Reed L. Harlan of Boonville and Brook L. Harlan (Lyria) of Columbia and four great grandchildren, Emma Broaddus of Leawood, Loren Michael Broaddus of Springfield, Evan Broaddus of Leawood and Catherine Broaddus of Springfield. She is survived by her sister Jean Oliver of Dallas, Texas, and many beloved nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews and cousins.

In addition to her parents and husband, Mary Katherine was preceded in death by her sister Margaret Angelo.

The family would like to express their gratitude to the very caring staff of Bradford Manor at Lenoir Woods. She leaves her family to mourn her passing and celebrate her extraordinary life.

Memorial donations may be made to Friends of Historic Boonville P.O. Box 1776, Boonville, MO 65233 or First Baptist Church 625 Main St. Boonville, MO 65233.