Mary K. "Kitty" Manary
Mary Kathryn “Kitty” Manary passed away Oct. 26, 2025. Kitty was born Sept. 21, 1944 to Jean and George Barnes of Marshfield, MO. She was the third and youngest child and the only daughter. She delighted her parents and charmed the patrons of their restaurants.
Kitty was always stylish, and at a young age she started showing her talents as a seamstress. As a teenager, she often made her own beautiful dresses and would later pursue a home economics degree, which she started at Drury College and finished at Mizzou as a new bride to the love of her life, John W. Manary.
Kitty and John began dating in high school, and the two married when they were college students on June 28, 1964. After starting their family in Kirksville, MO, John and Kitty returned to Marshfield to live on the Manary family farm after the unexpected death of John’s sister.
Despite the sad circumstances, the return to Marshfield was a true homecoming for Kitty, who enjoyed being closer to her brothers Robert and Tom, to her father, and especially to her mother. Kitty and Jean shared a special relationship. They were not only mother and daughter; they were close friends. The two often enjoyed shopping trips to Springfield with a stop for a hamburger lunch at Taylors. Kitty often told the story of the time they had three hamburgers each, and Jean had remarked that the third hamburger just wasn’t as good as the first one.
A few years after the move to Marshfield, John and Kitty had fully settled into family life with their three boys, David, Mark and Matt. Kitty was living the life she was destined for.
Kitty was a loving and devoted mother. She served as a den mother, attended countless baseball and basketball games and numerous truck pulls in support of her sons. Whatever the occasion, she could almost always be counted on to have a camera in one hand and a covered dish in the other.
Once the boys grew older, Kitty went back to school and received her education degree. She was a sixth-grade teacher at Marshfield Elementary for many years where she made lasting friendships and a difference in the lives of many children in her community. Her bulletin boards remain the stuff of legend.
Kitty’s retirement from teaching gave her the opportunity to pursue her true passion—being a grandmother. She lavished attention, gifts, cuddles, and lipstick prints on her beloved grandchildren. From the moment she became a grandmother until she left home for the last time, there was a room in her house for the grandchildren. She filled it with toys, soft bedding, happy memories, and love.
The kitchen was another room filled love, family togetherness, and the aromas of Kitty’s wonderful cooking and baking. She loved baking for her family, but baking with her grandchildren was special for everyone.
Kitty will be missed by many former students and good friends, but her family will feel her absence most keenly. She leaves behind her son David, his wife Jane, and his daughter Eve; her son Mark, his wife Dennie, his son Luke, and his daughter Camille; her son Matt, his wife Julie, his daughter Tatum and her husband Jacob, his daughter Riley, his son Boone, and his daughter Miller.
The family wishes to thank the friends who have been there for Kitty during the last few difficult years, including the staff at Maranatha Village. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Isabel’s House.
Funeral services for Kitty Manary will be at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 1, 2025, at Fraker Funeral Home, Inc., with visitation before services from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Interment will follow in Marshfield Cemetery.