Mary Seneker Kissel

Mary was born in March 1943 on a small tobacco farm in a beautiful corner of the Appalachian foothills near Bristol, Tennessee. There, Mary and her six siblings had a childhood tuned to the rhythms of planting and harvest, and were raised by parents who encouraged them towards education and a different life.

Mary’s education began in a one-room schoolhouse on Reedy Creek Road in Sullivan County. An early and lifelong love of learning and books led her to Berea College in Kentucky where she studied English and Art. While at Berea, Mary’s growing awareness of inequality and poverty led her to volunteer for Father Beiting’s inclusive service organization, Christian Appalachian Project, where she worked on poverty alleviation and literacy.

Service work in rural Kentucky led her to meet and marry David Kissel, then a PhD graduate student at the University of Kentucky. Together they raised three children across four states: Kentucky, Texas, Kansas and Georgia. When their son Eric’s premature birth in 1967 led to developmental disabilities, they refused their family doctor’s advice to place him in an institution, the first step in Mary’s life-long crusade for humane care, nondiscrimination, inclusion, education, and equal opportunity for people with disabilities.

As Mary and her family moved from Kentucky to Texas she continued to study art and make paintings and prints. In Kansas she pursued graduate study in literature, wrote and published poetry, taught composition as a member of the adjunct faculty at Kansas State University, and earned an MA in English Literature. She also continued her advocacy for underrepresented people at Kansas State in her work for the Affirmative Action Office. During this decade, Mary made lasting friendships that were influential in her life and work, and that she deeply cherished.

In 1988 Mary moved to Athens, Georgia where she and son Eric, who had then aged out of the educational system, encountered under-resourced social services and segregated living. To build an inclusive life for him, Mary networked with parents, allies, and activists to introduce and build supported living in northeast Georgia. Together in 1991 they founded Georgia Options, an organization that supports adults with disabilities to live in their own homes and achieve normative life experiences. Mary’s many years of active leadership and service to Georgia Options included several years as its Executive Director. For almost two decades, she was a force as she advocated alongside many Georgians striving for disability justice and full inclusion. She would be the first to say that there is much more work to be done. In the face of so much human struggle and suffering, Mary upheld the possibility of radical hope.

Towards the end of her life, Mary continued to write poetry shared with friends and built a home filled with art and music, books and lively conversations. Here Mary, in her role as “Grandmary” to Amelia Dell Harper and Elias John Harper, also found great joy in encouraging her grandchildren to embrace art, music and ideas, appreciate beauty, and have a great deal of fun.

Mary worked hard and with conviction to bring about a more just world. She cultivated beauty through a deep appreciation for words, art, and music. All who knew and met her were indelibly marked by her intelligence, graciousness, and humor.

Mary is preceded in death by her son, Eric Andrew Kissel, and by her brother Stan Seneker and is survived by five siblings: Jean (Dick) Ferrando of Nashville, Tennessee; Bill (Peggy) Seneker of Aiken, South Carolina; Linda (Charles) Sanford of Loudon, Tennessee; and Betty (George) Heiney of Palm City, Florida, and James (Judy) Seneker of Jupiter, Florida.

Mary is also survived by her husband David Kissel of Athens, Georgia; Laura Kissel of Columbia, South Carolina; and Anne Kissel Harper and husband Joe Dan Harper of Fredonia, New York; and her grandchildren, Amelia and Elias. We cannot find the words to express how deeply we miss her, and how profoundly grateful we are to have been part of her life.

A funeral service will be held Tuesday, November 15, at 11:00 a.m., at The Catholic Center at the University of Georgia.

The family will receive friends Monday, November 14, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., at Bernstein Funeral Home.

Flowers are gratefully accepted. If you would like to make a donation in Mary’s memory, please direct gifts to The Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia, P.O. Box 49309, Athens, Georgia 30604, www.cfnega.org; or to Georgia Options, Inc. in Athens, Georgia, www.georgiaoptions.org.

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.