Mary L. McFerron,84, Harrisonville, Missouri died Friday, September 17, 2010 at her daughter's home in Harrisonville. Funeral services will be 2:00 pm Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010 at the Atkinson Funeral Home in Harrisonville, MO. Burial in Orient Cemetery, Harrisonville. The family will receive friends 1:00-2:00 pm Tuesday at the Atkinson Chapel. Contributions to the ALS Association.

Mary Louise was born in a small farmhouse just east of Harrisonville, MO, to Harry and Ruby (neé Hough) Karg. She was the youngest of their four children. Growing up during the Great Depression, Mary thought she had the best childhood. In later years, she would often reminisce about this time as instilling in her the value of community and hard work. She attended Rural Mount Zion School and then graduated from Harrisonville High School in the class of 1946.

Mary was baptized when she was 16 at the First Baptist Church of Harrisonville. Her faith was a constant companion throughout her life.

During World War II, she worked at Pratt & Whitney making the engine for which that company is well known. It was there that she met the love of her life: Jeff McFerron. They were married on December 22, 1945. In 1954 they were blessed with their beloved daughter Patricia.

Mary enjoyed being active in her community. She was a helper with the Brownies, a member of the Harrisonville Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Business and Professional Women, and helped start the family business McFerron Tool & Machine Co, which ran for over 40 years.

Gardening and nature were Mary's two passions in life. She was known for nurturing a beautiful garden at her home in Harrisonville. She also maintained rural property for most of her life. Mary enjoyed all outdoor activities, including fishing and hunting. However, she was always a lady, just as much at home at the country club playing bridge as she was in the woods and fields of her birth.

Mary died peacefully at the home of her daughter on September 17, 2010 from ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Healthy in every other way, it was very hard for her family to watch such a dynamic woman succumb to this disease. In the end, her death was quick and peaceful. Her family thanks Northcare Hospice for helping her pass into paradise in relative comfort and ease.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jeff, brother Grover Karg, sister Dorothy Worthley, and grandson Jeffery Brandon Sparks. She is survived by her daughter Patricia Sparks and her husband, Bill, Harrisonville, MO; her sister Bessie Marie Justice, Pikeville, KY and her family; three grandsons, David Daniel and his wife Kathy, Gabriel Michael, and Kevin Patrick; and two great-grandchildren, Daniel Patrick and Samantha Louise.