Funeral Service for Mary Lorie (Behel) Swander of Raymore, MO will be at 5:30 PM at Advent Lutheran Church, Olathe, KS on Friday, Sept 11, 2020. The church requests masks and social distancing. Visit AdventOlathe.org for information about attending via livestream. Visitation will be from 4-5:30 PM before the service at the church. She will be laid to rest in Carmen City Cemetery, Carmen, OK at 3 PM Saturday, Sept 12. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to Advent Lutheran Church, Olathe KS; St Paul Lutheran Church, State Center, IA; or the Dakota Boys and Girls Ranch, Minot, ND. Porter Funeral Home of Lenexa, KS is caring for Mary Lorie and her family.
Mary Lorie (Behel) Swander was born in Alva, OK during wheat harvest on June 18, 1929. She was the 4th child of William and Sylvia (Fugit) Behel. She graduated from Alva High School in 1947. She worked in Kansas City and Wichita, KS before marrying Dean R. Swander on Nov 2, 1951. She was called home on September 4, 2020. She was 91 years old.
Lorie and Dean settled in Enid, OK on ten acres west of town where they raised their family. They entertained family and friends at their cabin near Canton Lake in western OK. She was a wonderful cook and gracious hostess. Her family and friends hold many fond memories of wonderful meals around her table. When family or friends were sick or in the hospital, they would call on her to be with them during their recovery. She was a ‘hospice nurse’ for many of our relatives. Her quiet presence was a great comfort. She was the first to deliver a hot meal when someone was in need. She enjoyed crochet and embroidery and her family will cherish the beautiful pieces she crafted for them. She thoroughly enjoyed family gatherings and holidays. She was a voracious reader and left a notebook filled with lists of books she read. Following Dean’s death, she moved to Olathe, KS. Until she moved to Olathe, everyone except her brother Bruce called her Lorie. When she moved to Olathe, she started introducing herself as Mary. She enjoyed being near her grandchildren as they grew up - hosting sleepovers and attending their recitals and games. She had perfect attendance at all of their ‘grandparent’s day’ celebrations. She moved in with her daughter Joan 17 years ago. She was a member of Advent Lutheran Church in Olathe, KS. She lived with her daughter Joan in Raymore, MO.
She is survived by daughter Joan Swander, who retired as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in State Center, IA a year ago so that they could move to MO to be closer to family. (One of Mary’s jobs was to critique the sermon each week before it was preached.) She is survived by daughter Carol (Lee) Schneider of Olathe, KS, who have been great helpers as her health declined and made many trips to IA and MO to help. She is survived by grandchildren David Schneider, Hays, KS and Amy (JD) Schmidt, Hutchinson, KS. She was considered a ‘bonus grandmother’ by Richard (Paul Eiserloh) Howell of Clearwater, FL, Brian (Traci) Howell of Weston, MA, and Brad (Jill) Howell of Missouri City, TX. She is survived by one sister-in-law, Mary Lou (Swander) Sloup of Enid OK.
She was preceded in death by her husband Dean; her parents William and Sylvia; her siblings Bruce (Alice) Behel, Lois (Raymond) Howell, and Ivan (Lee) Behel and numerous other family and friends. She leaves a legacy of love and hospitality.