Mary Evelyn Bundy

Mary Evelyn (Lahman) Bundy was born on Sunday, August 21st, 1927.  The Daughter of George Everly and Lois Evelyn (Davis) Lahman.  She was born in Fort Scott, Kansas and went to her home south of Garland, Kansas when she was ten days old.  As an only child, she had a very happy childhood growing up on her parents' farm, where they raised cows, Hampshire pigs, and other animals, as well as 5-gaited Quarter Horses.

As a child, Mary Evelyn rode her pony, Jack, to a country school for eight years then attended Arcadia High School and then Fort Scott High school.  She often talked about the experience of attending high school during the World War II years.  She attended Fort Scott Junior College and Pittsburg State Teachers College.  After graduating, she taught First Grade in Cherryvale, Kansas, before coming to Ottawa in 1948 to teach First grade at Hawthorne grade school.  Later, Mary Evelyn taught English as a Second Language (E.S.L.) at Ottawa University for over 23 years.  She loved getting to know all her students and stayed in touch with many of them, including some former first graders, until her death.

She married Harold Ralph Bundy on June 28th, 1950, at her parents' home in Garland.  After honeymooning in Cuba and Jamaica, they made their home in Ottawa and had two children, Hal and Gina.  Mary Evelyn was very active in the community.  She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Ottawa since 1948 and served as president of Kiwaniqueens and M.P.M. (Monday Afternoon Club).  She was a member of the Eastern Star for over 60 years and was very active with the Parent-Teacher Association (P.T.A.) while her children were in school, serving as president of the Eugene Field P.T.A.  She was also a member of Mother's Club and a life member of the Ottawa University Women's Club. Both Mary Evelyn and Harold were part of the delegation from Ottawa that traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby for flood control after the 1951 Ottawa flood.

A life-long reader, Mary Evelyn was involved with the Friends of the Ottawa Public Library and was the Ottawa representative to the North East Kansas Library System (NEKLS) for eight years, serving as treasurer for six years.  She loved the outdoors and all animals.  Over the years, she owned horses, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and even hamsters that she spoke of as family members.   She shared her hobby of feeding birds and squirrels with her son, Hal, and often laughed about her standing order of birdseed at the local Co-Op.

Mary Evelyn enjoyed knitting baby blankets for friends' babies and knitted baby hats to donate to the Ransom Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.  She was a loyal friend and regularly called and wrote letters and cards and visited people.  A natural caregiver, she cared for her husband after his strokes, her mother when her cancer returned, and her son suffering from Parkinson's disease.

Family meant everything to Mary Evelyn and she enjoyed getting to know her children's friends.

She also enjoyed baking and loved sharing her baked goods with friends and especially neighborhood children.  She was not above bribing people with apple pie. 

Mary Evelyn lived in Ottawa until 2018, when she went to live with her daughter in Saint Charles, MO.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Harold, and her son, Hal.  Survivors include her daughter, Gina, son-in-law, Michael, and her very spoiled cat, Pippa.

Following Covid-19 guidelines private family funeral services will be 1:00 p.m., Thursday, December 10, 2020, at Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home Ottawa, Kansas.  Interment will follow at Highland Cemetery.  The service will be live streamed on the funeral home Facebook page.  Family will meet with friends from noon to the service hour at the funeral on Thursday.  You may make donations in memory of Mary Evelyn to the Ottawa Public Library, Prairie Paws Animal Shelter, or the First Baptist Church of Ottawa.  Donations may be sent c/o Lamb-Roberts-Price Funeral Home, P.O. Box 14, Ottawa, Kansas, 66067.  Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through www.lamb-roberts.com.

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