Mary Kesner

1928 - 2020

Mary Kesner
Mary Lou (Whitson) Kesner of Fort Smith went to meet her heavenly Father at 2:31 p.m. on June 14, 2020, in Fort Smith. Born Feb. 11, 1928, she grew up in Ozark and later moved to Fort Smith. She married O. Dale Kesner on April 25, 1950, and moved to Virginia Beach, where she used her business degree. She returned to Arkansas and served in the children's ministry at a variety of churches: County Avenue Baptist in Texarkana and Cavanaugh Baptist and East Side Baptist Churches in Fort Smith. She was a member and president of a variety of organizations, including the Fort Smith Symphony Guild, garden clubs in Texarkana and Fort Smith and Fort Nightly.
After being unable to have a child, she adopted a daughter in 1963 and focused much of her time and energy on her husband and child. She selected her Fort Smith home and neighborhood based on the schools her daughter would attend. At one point, she worked at Marie's and the Boston Store in order to buy nice clothes for her teenage daughter. When Daddy put his foot down about their teenager owning a car, she loaned her green LaBaron for Bonnie to drive to school occasionally. Bonnie even got to cruise Grand Avenue in the Monte Carlo on the night of a Northside/Southside game. Mrs. Kesner sat down with the director of Baptist Student Housing in Fayetteville to fuss at him about his opinion that her daughter could not handle all of the requirements of Baptist Student housing, college classes and pledging a sorority. She centered her life around her husband and daughter.
Once Bonnie had a family of her own, she turned her attention to her husband and made certain he had everything he wanted, from tools in his workshop to a knife and cane collection. Mary Lou Kesner loved to be in control; even near the end, she told everybody to hurry and get off their phones, and for the CNAs at Elite Home Health to take care of her and leave the room. The family is grateful for the nurses and physical and occupational therapists of Elite Home Health for giving her hope and comfort these last few weeks, and especially grateful to the CNAs and staff for always being there to care for and feed her the last two years of her life and then granting her wish to die in her own home.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her father, Jack Whitson Sr.; her mother, Bertha English Whitson; a brother, Jack Whitson Jr.; a sister and brother-in-law, Gelene Whitson Mainard and husband Clifton Mainard; a nephew, Jim Mainard and wife Judy Mason Mainard; three brothers-in-law, J.W. Kesner Jr., Winfred "Wimpy" Kesner and Herbert Kesner; and a sister-in-law, Maribel Kesner Swearingen
Her surviving family includes a daughter, Bonnie Dale Curlin and husband Jay; seven grandchildren, Christopher Curlin and wife Liz, Adam Curlin, Jason Curlin, Gideon Curlin and wife Megan, Charity Curlin, Gabriel Curlin and Benjamin Curlin; five great-grandchildren, Calyon, Maxwell, Julia Rose, Jessie and Rileigh; a great-nephew, Jay Mainard and wife Kaitlyn; a sister-in-law, Norma Helmert Whitson; a brother-in-law, Mark Kesner and wife Marcelle; four nephews, Steve Kesner and wife Brenda, David Kesner and wife Brenda, Brent Kesner and wife Amy and Phillip "Jay" Phillip Swearingen and Valerie; and seven nieces, Beverly Hansen, Barbara Buras, Phyllis Russell and James, Kathy Austin and Buddy, Rosemary Geren and Terry, Keni Swearingen Rodgers and John and Leslie Swearingen Banner.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 18 at Edwards Funeral Home Chapel, 201 N. 12th St., Fort Smith.
Viewing will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home, where the family will be present from 5-7 p.m.
Online condolences may be sent at www.edwardsfuneralhome.com.
Mary Lou Kesner, "Keep your feet on the ground and your eyes above."