Mary Lucille (Dillard) Henzel was born December 16, 1934 in Merrill, Oregon, the first daughter of her parents Uel and Wilma (Dawson) Dillard. She passed away March 29, 2019 during a brief stay at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney, Nebraska. She was 84.
Mary was a long-time resident of Southern Oregon. Born in Merrill, Oregon, she was raised on her parent’s farm, the Dillard Ranch, along with her two sisters, Dorothy (Dottie) and Mona. She attended first and second grade at Merrill Elementary, then Henley schools from third grade through 12th. Upon graduation from Henley High School in 1953, she moved to Corvallis, Oregon to study for her Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education with a math, science and music minor at Oregon State College (Oregon State University).
While attending OSC, she met her husband, Stuart Lee Henzel, another Klamath County resident. They dated during college and married on June 24, 1956, at her family church, Mt. Laki Presbyterian, in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Their first home was in Corvallis, Oregon, where they finished college.
Upon graduation in 1958 with their bachelor’s degrees, Mary and Stuart moved to the family cattle ranch in Klamath Falls, Oregon. There, they raised their four sons. On the ranch, she spent a lot of time in the office, on horseback and working cattle with her family.
Mary was a substitute teacher at Henley Elementary, and then a 5th grade teacher at Stearns Elementary. Although she resigned in 1961 to raise her boys, she later returned to Henley Elementary to teach classroom music for grades 1-6. She also began giving private piano lessons.
In 1981, they moved to their ranch in Holdenville, Oklahoma, and in 1998, they moved to their ranch in Oberlin, Kansas. Throughout this time, Mary continued to work with the American National CattleWomen, Inc. (ANCW), at schools and to teach piano.
Mary was named the Outstanding CattleWoman of the Year in 2002 by the ANCW. In 1998 Mary was National President of the ANCW serving a total of eight years on the Executive Committee. She served as state president of Oklahoma CattleWomen in 1991 and 1992 and was a local member of ANCW for over 60 years while holding memberships in local and state groups in Oregon, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Mary had a life-long love of music. She began to play piano at the age of five and learned to play the saxophone in fifth grade. She was an active band member in high school and college. She learned to play every band instrument while getting her degree in music education. She played piano, organ and guitar for many of the churches she attended, including Oberlin Covenant Church. She was also an accomplished piano teacher for many years in Oregon, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Mary was the current program chair of the Oberlin Arts and Humanities Commission, bringing arts and entertainment programming to Oberlin. Last October, she was honored by the City of Oberlin for serving more than 20 years with the organization.
Mary was a longtime member of the Oberlin Evangelical Covenant Church, worked at the Landmark Inn and was formerly on the Board of Trustees at the Decatur County Hospital.
She is survived by three sons, Jim Henzel (Connie), of Pahrump, NV, Barron Henzel (Tom Fitzpatrick), of San Diego, CA, and Richard Henzel (Pamela Newby), of St. Petersburg, FL; sister and brother-in-law, Mona and Gordon Zumwalt, of Minden, NV; grandson, Jacob Henzel (Ali), of Sapulpa, OK; in addition to many other family members and countless friends.
Mary was preceded in death by her husband Stuart Henzel, son Clint Henzel, sister Dorothy (Dottie) Manz and her parents Uel and Wilma Dillard.
Donations can be made to the Oberlin Arts and Humanities Commission in her name:
Oberlin Arts and Humanities Commission
512 N. Penn Avenue
Oberlin, KS 67749
A celebration of life ceremony will be held at the Oberlin Evangelical Covenant Church on Saturday, May 4, at 11am. A luncheon reception will be held afterward in the church fellowship hall.
“I thank God for the life He has let me live and for the gifts of family and friends.” Mary Henzel