Obituary of Mary Alice O’Neal

Mary Alice O’Neal, age 90, of Moberly, passed peacefully Saturday, March 10, 2018, at Ravenwood Terrace Assisted Living surrounded by family members. Mrs. O’Neal was born January 18, 1928, in Fort Dodge, IA to Aubrey Jay and Harriett Fern (Kramer) Willard. Mary was 16 months old when they moved to Caney, KS. On Aug. 23, 1946, she married James Robert O’Neal in Caney, where they briefly made their home before moving to various places for his job as a pipeliner. Her primary joy was being a mother and homemaker, always able to pack up the family quickly and efficiently when a job transfer was in line for her husband making the new place into home. The couple lived in Moberly from 1960 until 1968, then Iowa, New Mexico, and Texas before returning to the Moberly area in 1996. After her husband passed in 2003, she looked forward to the annual Willard Reunion and mother/daughters’ trips to Branson and has enjoyed spending time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, playing card games and Yahtzee, and she thoroughly enjoyed her Bingo at Ravenwood three times a week. Mrs. O’Neal was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and her siblings, Wilma Abbott, Wilbur E. Willard, Virginia Abbott, Aubrey T. Willard, and Donna Wallace. Survivors include one son, James of Broken Arrow, OK; three daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and Ray Penderson of Broken Arrow, Pam and Steve Botkins of Moberly and Joyce and Steve Murphy of Iowa City, IA; eight grandchildren, Lisa (Terry) Vasicek, Matt Penderson, Chris (Andrea) Botkins, Gerald (Cheryl) Botkins, Jessica Murphy, Megan O’Neal, James Robert (Chris) O’Neal and Joshua O’Neal; eleven great-grandchildren, Ely and Alec Botkins; Natalie, Courtney, and Grant Botkins; Ellie and Drake Vasicek; Brayden, Triston and Kelsey Penderson; Mary Allison Murphy; and one great-great-granddaughter, Brylee Rae Botkins. Memorials are suggested to the Masonic Home of Missouri, 6033 Masonic Drive, Suite A, Columbia, MO 65202. Visitation will be held at Pathway Memorial Funeral Home in Moberly on Wednesday, March 14, 2018 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Graveside services will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, March 16, at Lamont Cemetery in Lamont, OK