Mary P. Bires

She was born Mary Pearl Long on Dec. 15, 1925 in Kaiser, MO to Joseph and Martha Long. She had one sister, Nellie and two brothers, Amos and Robert.

Mary graduated from Tuscumbia, MO. High School in 1946. No sooner had she began to work, when she smartly began traveling through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and finally westward to Oregon and Washington State. Here she met Raymond C. Bires and they were later married on August 8, 1947. The remained together for 52 years until Raymond’s passing in June 1999.

The Yakima Valley was a great place to begin a family of three sons. They did so until 1958 when they moved to Missouri where Mary’s family lived.

In 1959 they both experienced an uplifting Spiritual conversion and were filled with the Holy Ghost. A new journey was a foot as they began Ministering and doing Evangelical work in the surrounding community and Kansas City area. As an extension of her love Mary supported two separate Korean children as well as support to the Full Gospel Native Missionary as the photo caption and write up indicted in their Oct. 1981 edition.

Brother and Sister Bires had both been blessed with the deep understanding and appreciation of the Holy Word. Throughout Mary’s life the Spirt of the Lord would inspire her to write a vast number of meaningful spiritual songs which she sang with a beautiful voice. Later she complimented her songs by learning to play the amnicord and the guitar which was mostly accomplished in a self-taught fashion. The last time Sister Mary sang and played her guitar was last year at age 89.

Mary was more than a housewife, a mother and a servant of the Lord. She also managed to be employed as a waitress, a lodge custodian, worked in the fruit industry and successfully performed as a physical therapist assistant here in Yakima, where she was greatly admired and respected. Included in her wide range of talents and skills, she also did flower arrangements and painted scenic pictures and birds.

Mary was very sociable and enjoyed conversing with nearly anyone. She was very friendly. She loved the outdoors and enjoyed camping and traveling. Some of her later in life trips included Hawaii, Alaska, Aruba, Acapulco, Costa Rica and slipped through the Panama Cannel. She also did plenty of traveling through Utah, Arizona, Missouri and other surrounding states sightseeing and visiting relatives.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Raymond C. Bires who passed in June 1999. She is survived by three sons, Patrick of Lake Ozark, MO. Steven of Eldon, MO. and Dana of Yakima, WA; two grandsons, Matthew and David; nine granddaughters, Laura, Sabrina, Veronica, Emily, Rachel, Dana, Tina, Venezza and Divina; six great grandsons, Triston, Averi, Tremonte, Micah, Nehemiah and Jonah; five great granddaughters, Sydney, Adyson, Joselyn, Lola and Eloisa.

Visitation will be from 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday July 6, 2016 at Keith & Keith Funeral Home. A Funeral Service will be at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday July 7th at Note of Joy Church located at E R St. Yakima, WA 98901. Concluding service will follow at West Hills Memorial Park. To share a memory of Mary, please visit www.keithandkeith.com.