Celebration of life memorial service for Mary Ernestine Harman, 92, Lawrence, will be at 2 pm, Saturday, October 26, 2013, at Clinton Lake Corps Overlook Area, Shelter House 1, Overlook Park 800 N. 1402 Rd. Lawrence, KS 66049.
Mary passed away peacefully Wednesday, October 23, 2013, at Midland Hospice House in Topeka. She is preceded in death by her parents, Ernest and Mary (Perrenoud) Droz and sister, Alice (Droz) Snyder.
Born September 5, 1921, in Humboldt, KS, Mary was the youngest daughter of Ernest and Mary Droz. She graduated from Humboldt High School in 1939 and attended Neosho County Community College until 1941. She received a Bachelor Degree in Home Economics and Education from Kansas State University in 1943. Mary taught Home Economics at Thayer High School, Thayer, Kansas and at Tonganoxie High School, Tonganoxie, KS. After a vocation change to Registered Medical Technologist, graduating from Harding College in Searcy, Arkansas in 1949, she worked as a Med Tech at Santa Fe Hospital, Topeka, KS, and then at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. Mary moved to Watkins Student Health Center in 1961 staying there for 25 years until she retired in 1986.
In 1951, Mary and Marcus Eugene Harman were married and moved to Lawrence KS to begin their life together. They were blessed with two children, Tom and his younger sister, Janet. Many from the area might remember the fireworks stand they setup each July in their front yard on Sixth Street for Tom and his friend Lee in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Mary enjoyed life and had many friends. She was an avid K-State fan and attended the Big 8 basketball tournament in Kansas City with the same group of friends for over 20 years so she could cheer on her Wildcats! She loved to travel and visited many places near and far from visiting castles and her Swiss relatives in Europe, to the tropical beaches of Jamaica and Mexico. She loved to visit any beach, walk in the sand, then sit back and enjoy a drink while the tide washed away all evidence of her footprints.
Love for family and friends was Mary’s specialty. Her love for them was always evident in her smiles and actions. She celebrated their joys and victories as well as knowing just what to say when they needed to hear kind words of support. Her quick wit often had them laughing. She will be truly missed and never forgotten.
Mary knew the importance of giving to your community and contributed in many ways. In a special ceremony, the Wallace Galluzzi Certificate of Appreciation was awarded to Mary in 2007 in recognition of her delivering “Meals on Wheels” for over 30 years in the Lawrence community. Mary also served as a Stephens Minister for the Plymouth Congregational Church which she attended while living in Lawrence.
Survivors include one son Tom and wife Sherry Harman, Linwood, KS; a daughter Janet and husband Jaimie Dewey, Dearborn, MO; two grandsons, Mark Harman and Scott Harman, and one granddaughter, Devyn Harman, all of Linwood, KS; an extended family member Kenneth Dewey, Eudora, KS; Mary’s longtime caregiver, Molly Landon, Lawrence, KS; and we can’t forget Spice, her loving cat.
The family suggests memorials to the Midland Hospice House, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, or the KSU Foundation, all sent in care of the Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home, 601 Indiana, Lawrence, KS 66044.
