Mary Lawson

Mary Ann Lawson, 72 of Kearney, died Sunday December 16, 2012 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney. A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 AM, Wednesday at St. James Catholic Church in Kearney. The Rev. Joseph Hannappel will officiate. Interment will be 2:00 PM at Ft. McPherson National Cemetery near Maxwell. A family reception will be 6-7pm Tuesday at the church with a Rosary at 7PM. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to The Nebraska Medical Center (Oncology Dept.). www.nebraskamed.com/how-you-can-help. On-line condolences may be shared at osrfh.com. O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney is in charge of arrangements. Mary Ann was born on November 10, 1940 in Loup City, Nebraska to Leon and Rose Kociemba. She grew up in Ogallala, Nebraska and began her career immediately after high school working at Rexall Drug headquarters in Hollywood, CA. After moving to Colorado, she married L. Gayle Lawson on June 5, 1965, and their three children were born in Denver. The family moved to Kearney in 1978. At the age of 42, she pursued her long-time dream of getting a college degree and, while working at UNK, she obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees by 1992. As the Director of Business Internships, until she retired in July 2011, she arranged for, monitored, and helped many students obtain real-world work experience through internships in Nebraska and abroad. She touched many more lives through her volunteer work with the Kearney Community Theater, the Central Mediation Center, Leadership Kearney, Golden Torch Society, UNK Alumni Association (Board Member), Kearney Chamber of Commerce (Member), and Lambda Pi Eta (Honorary Member). She was, in turn, touched by the many warm wishes, thoughts, and prayers offered by many in the community as she battled pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her husband Gayle; daughter Andrea McMurtry and her husband, Tom, of Kansas City; son Matthew and his wife Carol, of Ladera Ranch, California; son Chad and fiancé Carrie Kishline of Vashon, Washington; five grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; sisters Nancy Seaman and Ellen Rae Werner; brothers Roy Kociemba and Tom Kociemba; six nieces; one nephew; and 10 great-nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.

Mary Lawson

November 10, 1940 - December 16, 2012