Mary Barron

Graveside services for Ms. Mary Leota Barron, 97, of Bowling Green, Missouri formerly of Clarksville, Missouri will be held Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at 11:00 a.m. at the Greenwood Cemtery, Clarksville, Missouri. The Rev. William Baker will officiate. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until time of services at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 4th at the Collier Funeral Home in Louisiana, Missouri. Burial will be in the Greenwood Cemetery in Clarksville, Missouri. Ms. Mary Leota Barron passed away Friday afternoon, February 29, 2008 at Moore-Pike Nursing Home in Bowling Green, Missouri. She was born in Bertrand, Missouri on September 17, 1910, the daughter of Charles Abraham Barron, a teacher and superintendent of schools and Cora May Lett Barron. After moving to several other southeast Missouri school districts and her parents divorce, she and her family came to Clarksville in February, 1925 where she graduated from high school in 1929. Her mother remarried a postal employee named Obidiah Dodge. Her first employment was as an aid at the Christian Orphans Home in St. Louis. Later she returned to Clarksville and went to work at the telephone office for .10 cents and hour eight hours daily. She then held various jobs helping to support her younger brothers; picking apples $1.00 per day, the garment factory, Dr. Wilcoxen's office in Louisiana, the glove factory and several other jobs. In 1935 she went to work at the Clarksville Sentinel newspaper as a reporter and office secretary. She later became a linotype operator and in 1940 after the business was purchased by the Press Journal she became managing editor until 1950. In 1950 she was awarded the Mollie Pitcher Award presented in recognition by the M0 Press Association to outstanding women editors. She received her social security number at age 25 years. In 1950 she opened "The B Shop", a retail ladies shop in Clarksville where she also collected telephone bills for the telephone company and laundry for the White Star Laundry in Hannibal. She retired from the retail store in 1972 for one year; after which she began working at Duvall's Restaurant in Clarksvlle for the next three years. When the new tourist center in Clarksville opened she along with two other adults greeted forty to fifty thousand tourist monthly each summer until 1992 when the City took over operations as it is today. She was a volunteer during the "Flood of "93". She was a member of Grace Episcopal Church, The Pike Co. Historical Society, a lifetime member of the State Historical Society of Missouri, Coterie Federated Women's Club, the Clarksville American Legion and on the Clarksville Board of Housing from 1972-1992, the interfaith Council of Churches, a volunteer in the Senior Citizens program, and in 1973 recognized by the American Red Cross Chapter for outstanding volunteer work. She is survived by nieces, Mrs. Joni Brotherton and Mrs. Kay Sutton of Sun City, AZ and a nephew, Mr. Alan Barron of Clarksville, M0 and five aunts, several great nieces and a nephew. She was preceded in death by her parents and two younger brothers and sisters-in-laws, Charles A and Helen (Gussie) Stone Barron and John L. (1967) and Mary (Appling) Barron (1999). A special thanks to the Clarksville American Legion Post Ladies Auxiliary for their faithful support. Memorials may be made to Grace Episcopal Church or the Clarksville American Legion Ladies Auxiliary.

Mary Barron

September 17, 1910 - February 29, 2008