Mary Louise EfingerWaverly, KS

Mary Louise Efinger was born September 7, 1940 at Kansas City MO, the daughter of Jules P. and Marie Angela (Naert) DeWilde. She spent her childhood in Kansas City and graduated from high school in 1957.She then earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from St. Mary College now known as the University of St Mary in Leavenworth, KS. in 1961. She taught school in Topeka and Kansas City.

On July 24, 1965, she and Fred H Efinger were married at Kansas City, MO. They became the parents of three daughters, Kathryn, Karen, and Beverly.  In 1968 they moved to Waverly, KS. where Mary Lou taught at the Waverly Junior High School.

She and Fred were entrepreneurs. They farmed, owned/ operated Efinger Sanitation, Big E Tomatoes, Efinger Rentals, service stations in Waverly and several other endeavors.  Mary Lou also worked at the Osage County Rural Water District #4 Office in Waverly before retiring. After retiring she continued to manage the rental properties and fulfill her dream of developing a patio and courtyard adjoining her home.

Mary Lou was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waverly.

Mary Lou passed suddenly on May 4, 2026, at Stormont-Vail hospital in Topeka Kansas.  Her husband Fred preceded her in death on June 10, 2010, following 44 years of marriage. She was also preceded in death by a daughter Kathryn P. Hatten, a brother, Jules E. DeWilde; three sisters, Jeannette Solomon, Beverly Bracy, and infant, Kathy DeWilde, a sister-in-law, Geraldine DeWilde Sears, and brother-in-law, Gerald Kennedy MD.

She leaves her daughters , Karen Thaler (Susan), Davis SD, and Beverly Russell (Larry), Georgetown TX.; her life partner  Roy Hughes, six grandchildren, Jared and Andrea Maxwell, Elizabeth, Lou, and Colin Russell, and Dameion Hatten; a son-in-law Eric Hatten, a brother-in-law Keith Solomon, a number of nieces and nephews’ many other relatives and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held June 9th,2026 at 11am at St. Joseph Catholic Church.  Inurnment will follow in St Joseph Cemetery, Waverly KS.

A rosary will be recited at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Waverly on June 8th,2026 at 6:30 P.M., followed by visitation at the church hall.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Waverly Booster Club or a charity of the donor’s choice and may be sent in care of Jones Funeral Home, PO Box 277, Burlington, KS 66839.

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