Mary Catherine Wetzel, age 98, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away peacefully on Friday, March 11, 2022, at Kansas City Hospice House surrounded by her family. She was born September 24, 1923 in Middletown, Ohio, lived in Trenton, Ohio, and moved to Overland Park, Kansas in 1965. She graduated from Trenton High School. Mary was employed at Armco Steel during WW-II, but remained a homemaker most of her life. She attended Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Middletown, Ohio, and Queen of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Overland Park, Kansas.
She was an avid baker making chocolate chip cookies, holiday cookies, pies, decorated cakes, and all kinds of breakfast breads. She learned cake decoration from John Wetzel, who owned a bakery, father of her husband, Joseph Wetzel. She used these skills to make her famous Cake Eggs at Easter, Heart cakes at Valentine’s, and Tie cakes on Father’s Day, all of which were sold as a fundraiser for Queen of the Holy Rosary Church. She also loved to sew clothes and made all sorts of Halloween costumes and alterations for everyone in the family.
She was active in many volunteer organizations: President of Mother’s Scholarship Club, Cub Scout Den Mother and Girl Scout Leader, Election judge in Johnson County, KS, President of Saint Christopher Circle, vice-president of Women’s Golf Association of Kansas City, President for the Queen of the Holy Rosary Church Altar Society, sewed layettes for Public Health Unwed Mothers, among many others. She lived in Stratford Place for 30+ years where she led the community in placing flags along the drives on Memorial Day, 4th of July, and other holidays.
Mary was a Florida snowbird for 30+ years, and loved tanning and golfing, in Bonita Beach, FL, Bonita Springs, FL, and Fort Myers, FL. She enjoyed playing golf at Overland Park Golf Course and St. Andrews Golf Course.
Preceding her in death were her parents William and Bertha Webber, and her husband, Joseph Wetzel in 1991, her older sister Margaret Fall, older brother Richard Webber, and granddaughter Linde Coffey. She is survived by her son, Greg Wetzel, and three daughters, Rosemary Signorelli, Janet Gonzales, Joyce Anderson, and grandchildren Jeremy Coffey, Johnny Signorelli, Frances Nitzschke, Jenna (Gonzales) Yan, Jordan Gonzales, and Krista Jeffers, and great granddaughter Katelyn Nitzschke, and many extended family and friends.
Rosary will be 9:00 am on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 11300 W. 103rd Street, Overland Park, Kansas 66214, followed by Visitation from 9:30am -11:00 am and Requiem Mass at 11:00 am. Burial in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Lenexa, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Holy Spirit Catholic Church, American Diabetes Association, or the American Heart Association.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mcgilleyhoge.com for the Wetzel family.
