Mary Sue Wendt, born February 6, 1963, to George and Lulu (Kleppe) Fuhrman at Hiawatha Community Hospital in Hiawatha, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly on March 12, 2026, in Harrison, Arkansas.
Mary grew up on her parents’ farm in Brown County alongside her four siblings. A bright and capable child, she was a Cracker Jack spelling award winner in grade school. She graduated from Hiawatha High School in 1981, then attended Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas, earning her bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology in just three years with a perfect 4.0 grade average. She went on to receive her master’s degree in psychology from Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri.
She met Bill Wendt at Baker University and they married, sharing two children, Kailey and Dustin, before later divorcing. After completing her master’s, Mary worked in social work in Lawrence, Kansas. She ran an in-home daycare while her children were young, then returned to social work for the state of Kansas in Lawrence once they were in grade school. She later moved to Goodland, Kansas, where she served as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the state.
Mary retired in 2023 and moved to Harrison, Arkansas, to be near her grandchildren. She delighted in joining Sage and Jasper in their adventures and dressing up as flamboyant characters with them. In her few years there, she worked part-time and formed a warm circle of friends. She is survived by her children, Kailey (Josiah) Smith of Harrison, Arkansas, and Dustin Wendt of Lawrence, Kansas; her grandchildren, Sage and Jasper Smith of Harrison; her siblings, Roger (Kathy) Fuhrman, Vickie (Andy) Walker, Terry (Jennifer) Fuhrman, and Linda (Brian) Young; and many nieces and nephews. Mary possessed a quirky sense of humor, an infectious spirit, and a remarkable ability to love her grandchildren with extravagance.
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