Mary Louise Birkner passed away unexpectedly at her home in Wellsville, Missouri on Wednesday, June 30 ^th , 2021.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m., Monday July 5, 2021, at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Wellsville with Rev. Alan Johnson officiating. Burial will follow in the Wellsville Cemetery. Myers Funeral Home is handling the arrangements.

Mary was born July 10 ^th , 1957, in St. Charles County, Missouri, to Martha Ann Brunner-Birkner and James Robert Birkner.

Mary graduated from Wellsville-Middletown R-1 in 1975 and worked at the shoe factory until she began her journey working in nursing and graduating LPN school at MACC. Mary worked for several years at Gamma Road Nursing Center and St. Andrews Nursing Center in New Florence until she had to retire due to her health. Mary was a member of the St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church of Wellsville.  Mary's hobbies included crocheting, coloring, crossword puzzles and word searches along with watching her pride and joy, her grandson, Jamel grow up into a young man. Mary's biggest joys in life were her daughter Tina and grandson Jamel.

Mary and her family will be forever grateful for her nephew James Birkner for aiding in providing her with 20 extra years of life through kidney donation, which was originally supposed to only last 10 years.

Mary will be remembered as a caring and loving person and a person that always put everyone else's needs before her own.

She is survived by her daughter Tina Michelle Birkner and son in law Joe Melvin Mahaney; grandson Jamel Christopher Mahaney all of Wellsville; two sisters, Lillian Bernece Cullom of Bellflower, Mo., and Vivian Kay Birkner of Auxvasse; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and lifelong friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Lupus Foundation of America (lupus.org). They may be sent in care of Myers Funeral Home, 203 E. Bates Street, Wellsville, MO 63384.