Grace G. Folse, 89, of Overland Park, KS, passed away Sunday, October 23, 2022.  Visitation will be from 10-11:00 AM followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00 AM, November 2, at the Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 11300 W. 103rd Street, Overland Park, KS 66214. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions to Holy Spirit Catholic School or Vitae Foundation

Grace was born February 10, 1933, in Belle Rose, LA to Benoit and Lucy Mae (Simoneaux) Gregoire.  She was a member of Holy Spirit Catholic Church. Oakshire Social Committee and St Helen’s Circle Holy Cross Catholic Church. Grace was the bookkeeper for Oak Park Mall for many years retiring from there in 2006.  She was preceded in death by her brother Benjamin Gregoire, daughter Renee', great grandchildren Greyson and Braxton and daughter-in-law Elizabeth Folse.  Grace is survived by her husband of 70 years, John (Jack) C. Folse, four children Johnny Folse, Stephanie (Jeff) Gunderson, Byron (Strausie) Folse, Joe (Bev) Folse, twelve grandchildren David Atchison, Kevin Gunderson, Dana (Matt) Stutzman, Lisa Gunderson, Nick Folse, Laura Folse, Jennifer (Donald) Snyder, Audrey Lehr, Christy Folse (Geoff) Haun, Heather (Andrew) Doughty, Sarah Folse, Amanda Folse, fifteen great grandchildren; Dustin, David, Eliza, Lydia, James, Henry, Andrew, Emily, Nicholas, Cayden, Aspen, Winter, Kaelyn, Haeli, Cooper and many extended family members and friends.

Immediately after moving to Overland Park and becoming a member of Holy Cross Catholic church she was welcomed into the St Helens Circle where she met the gals who would be her life-long best friends and neighbors Marilyn Casey, Sue Lee and Dee Wellenstein. Their children lovingly gave those ladies the nickname “The Snoop Sisters”. As time went on and families moved on from the Benson/Eby/91st terrace neighborhood there was always plenty of help on moving day via the OSMC.

More recently she thoroughly enjoyed her wonderful friends that she made through the Coffee Ladies that met after every Friday morning mass, and was disappointed if they were forced to cancel.

Anyone who knew Grace knew she was a lifelong sports fan. Her love of sports and especially baseball began with the Thibodaux Tigers minor league baseball team based just down the bayou from where she lived in Belle Rose, Louisiana. She loved attending those with her baseball loving dad, Benoit. When the family moved to Kansas City in 1971, she was thrilled to be able to see the Kansas City Royals games in person. She became a season ticket holder in the early ‘80s, which allowed her to attend every home game of the 1985 World Series Royals when they finally won their first championship. She loved that her mother traveled from Louisiana and was able to join her for those games. She followed the Royals faithfully and always knew every player’s name and continued to follow her favorites wherever they ended up through trades or retirement. The Royals were a consistent source of joy and frustration for her as anyone who follows the Royals will understand. We are all ecstatic that she was able to attend one more game in the 2022 season with her granddaughter Dana and her family. It will be a lasting memory for all of them. We should mention that her second favorite MLB team was whomever the darn Yankees were playing.

In Louisiana she loved LSU Tiger basketball and to a lesser extent Tiger football. Once she became a Kansas resident she added another team to her favorites, the basketball team at University of Kansas and cheered her Jayhawks on to many successful seasons. The highlight was attending the 2008 National Championship game in San Antonio in which they were victorious. Anytime during the college basketball season mentioning the Jayhawks to Grace would be met with a rousing “ROCK CHALK” followed by a discussion and in-depth analysis of the previous game.

She also closely followed the NFL, and having moved to KC soon after the Chiefs had won their first championship, she quickly became a fan of the local home team. She never lost her love for the New Orleans Saints and enjoyed watching them win the Superbowl in 2010. She was even more elated when the Chiefs were able to reclaim the Lombardi trophy in 2019.

As much as she loved collegiate and professional sports, she loved watching her children and grandchildren play sports even more, never missing an event if they were participating. And there were many events as she passed on her love of sports to all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her granddaughter, Heather, said, “Granny went to every single one of my cross country and track meets, basketball and volleyball games. She pushed me to be better each day in all areas of life and I am forever grateful for the unconditional love and support she’s shown me all these years.”

As with most ladies from the deep south, Grace’s cooking skills were legendary. She loved sharing her recipes with family members, although replicating the taste has proven to be quite a challenge. We will continue to try because her meat pies, gumbo, crawfish stew, cornbread dressing, spaghetti and meat balls, and lasagna all made from scratch are dishes that will always remind us of her. 

Her grandson, Kevin, said, “I have been around long enough to know that I shouldn’t get too excited when hearing the word “gumbo.” When I was younger, I was disappointed many times after I rushed to fill my bowl or waited in line at a new cajun restaurant. I finally realized that the words ‘Granny-is-making…’ must be placed before the word ‘gumbo’ for that word gumbo to have any meaning. As I grew older and moved farther and farther away, I was usually able to visit Granny only during the holidays. I would fly in a rush, leave in a rush, but when I arrived at Granny’s house I stopped in the kitchen. No matter the guest list, Granny always insisted on cooking the holiday meal for everybody. In our family, everybody could be 20 people, some might say too many. Granny would insist, and if I was lucky enough to be there, I would insist on lending a hand in the kitchen. Not that she needed any help, just that I enjoyed getting the “first” tastes ,  and sidling up next to her. When I helped prepare the food, it made me feel connected to time and place, to all our family members, and to Granny most of all. It was a tradition that connected me to a spirit that is timeless, always living, and always present.”

Her faith was always a huge part of her life. Through all of life’s ups and downs her faith, her soul mate Jack and her devoted friends have been instrumental in keeping her grounded, calm and making her the Amazing Grace that will be missed profoundly.