Mary Jean Shoop

Obituary of Mary Jean Shoop

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Mary Jean Shoop passed away on February 2, 2026, at the age of 98. She was born March 10, 1927, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, the only child of Hobson and Madora "Honey" Gattis.

During her childhood, Mary Jean was a natural performer. She sang and danced on the radio and at events throughout Fort Smith. With her lively personality, musical talent, and signature curls, she even won a Shirley Temple contest around 1937.

At Fort Smith High School, Mary Jean was a cheerleader and a talented pianist who accompanied choral ensembles. She later attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, graduating in 1949 with a double major in Religious Education and Psychology.

While at Drake, she met the love of her life, William G. Shoop. They were married on July 29, 1949, at her home church, First Christian Church in Fort Smith-beginning a partnership that would span more than seven decades.

In December 1953, Bill and Mary Jean moved to Buffalo, New York, where he became Senior Pastor of Richmond Avenue Christian Church. During their years there, they welcomed their two children, Gary and Penny.

In 1954, they were introduced to the Chautauqua Institution at Lake Chautauqua in western New York. Over the next 64 years, they returned for at least twenty week-long stays there, making it one of the great highlights of their summers.

The family moved to Kansas City in 1959, where Bill served as Associate Minister at Country Club Christian Church until 1961. During these years, Mary Jean continued her devoted work as a mother and minister's wife.

Through the generosity of a church member, the family moved to St. Andrews, Scotland, where Bill earned his Ph.D. in Ethics. Their time there deepened their appreciation for Scottish culture and broadened their world.

From December 1963 to February 1976, the family lived in St. Joseph, Missouri. During those years Mary Jean taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades for a decade in Amazonia and St. Joseph, Missouri, while remaining deeply involved in church life, alongside Bill, at First Christian Church.

In 1976, the family moved to the St. Louis area when Bill became Senior Pastor at Webster Groves Christian Church. After his retirement in September 1990, they moved to Independence, Missouri, to be closer to family.

Mary Jean had a gift for hospitality. Whether at church or at home, she loved welcoming people, hosting meals, and creating beautiful settings for family and friends to gather. Preparing and sharing those moments was, for her, an expression of care and celebration.

More than anything, Mary Jean loved her family and the many people in her life. Her warmth, kindness, laughter, and joyful spirit will be remembered by all who knew and loved her.

Her faith and commitment to service were central to her life. She was active in many organizations at the local, national, and international level, including Christian Women's Fellowship, the Food Bank, Heifer Project, and Church World Service. In 2002, the Kansas City, Missouri Unit of Church Women United honored Mary Jean with the Valiant Woman Award.

In the summer of 2025, Bill and Mary Jean moved to a nursing home in Lenexa, Kansas. After Bill's passing, Mary Jean moved to Keller, Texas, to be closer to Gary and Pam.

Bill and Mary Jean celebrated 76 years of marriage on July 29, 2025. In his book Food for the Fed Up, Bill wrote the following dedication to Mary Jean:

To Mary Jean,

Whose companionship

Has brought

Exhilaration and beauty

To what might have been

Dull and colorless days.

Mary Jean was preceded in death by her daughter, Penny Brown Blake (November 23, 2007), and by her husband, Bill (August 21, 2025).

She is survived by her son, Gary Shoop and his wife Pam; grandchildren, Hilary Cosby (Todd), Heather Shoop-York (TJ), Cody Shoop (Claire), Ginger Katz (Bryce), and Austin Brown (Clancy); and great-grandchildren, Kit, Ryder, Skyler, Juniper, Penelope, Parker, Miles, and Marty.

Celebration of Life Memorial Service: 2:00 p.m. March 14, 2026, at Country Club Christian Church Chapel, 6101 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64113

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorial contributions to Country Club Christian Church.