Mary Genevieve Pryor passed away peacefully on January 7, 2024. Mary was born in Rosendale on November 8, 1929, to Henry and Sadie (McCallon) Johnson. Mary was a loving wife to Robert Pryor who passed away in 2006. Bob and Mary had three children, Peggy (Terry) Richardson, Sony (Ron) Jones and Daryl (Debbie) Pryor. She was grandmother to Jason Richardson, Jamie Richardson and Josh (Jessica) Wyatt and great-grandmother to Rylan Richardson, Jacey and Jenna Wyatt and Everly Mercer.
Mary was the last of her family. In addition to Bob, Mary was preceded in death by sisters, Violett, Lillian, Ann, Ruth, and brothers Gordon, John, Norman, Stuart, Ernest and Dick (Virgil) as well as several in-laws, nieces and nephews.
Mary retired from JC Penny's after 28 years, winning several awards for her service. She felt if she hadn't made a sale, she wasn't doing her job. She could sell sand in the desert.
She was long-time, very involved, member of Woodson Chapel Church in St. Joseph and had a wonderful, loving church family.
Mary loved to travel. She and Bob were snowbirds in Yuma, Arizona for many years, but her favorite destination was the Tetons in Wyoming, particularly the region between Dubois and Jackson Hole. She enjoyed looking for petrified wood in Wiggins Fork and landing a trout at Brooks Lake.
She was a marvelous cook who seduced guests with wonderful aromas and then fed them just a bit too much, ever expanding waistlines a testament to her talent in the kitchen.
Mary had many hobbies. She was an excellent seamstress, having worked at Nelly Don's for a time. She could also crochet, knit, and embroider. She made several beautiful quilts by hand, moved on to ceramics and went on to paint some lovely pictures. Late in life, she became involved in handling estate sales and had several booths around St. Joseph where she displayed and sold her collection of antiques.
She enjoyed all sports, particularly her Royals and Chiefs, but she most looked forward to watching her kids and grandkids play. Mary was also a wicked card player and she played to win, not above threatening to pencil whip the score if necessary.
Mary Pryor's smile, humor and sometimes blunt honesty will be missed by many for she was the sweetest firecracker you'd ever come across, but the void created by her death is filled with touching and delightful memories of a life well lived.
the family would like to thank Living Community and Mosaic Hospice for their thoughtful and tender care of their loved one.
Funeral services will be held Thursday, January 11, 2024 at Heaton-Bowman-Smith Savannah Chapel in Savannah, Missouri. Visitation will be at 1:00 PM followed by the service at 2:00 PM. Mary will then interred at the Savannah Cemetery following the service.
