Obituary of Mary Frances DeGraffenreid Rutter

Mary Frances DeGraffenreid Rutter of Osage Beach, Missouri passed away on Monday, February 19, 2018 at Lakeside Meadows.  She was 90 years old.

Mary was born on December 10, 1927 in Ulman, Missouri to Louie L. and Cora A. DeGraffenreid.  Grandparents Barnett and DeGraffenreid lived just down the road.  Her birth was greeted by two older brothers, Tennyson A. and John R. and a few years later, they welcomed a baby sister, Katherine.  Mary grew up on Bear Creek, attending School of the Osage where she was always proud to be an Osage Indian.  During her early years, she committed her life to Jesus Christ and was baptized in the swimming hole not far from the family home.   She prayed; she believed; she looked forward to Eternity.  

After high school, Mary moved to Kansas City to work at Harzfeld’s as an accountant.  It was in Kansas City that she met and later married Jack David Rutter on April 11, 1947.  After a short time in Sedan, Kansas they moved to Eastern Colorado where her husband opened an auto parts store and she worked as a nurse’s aide at Kit Carson County Memorial Hospital.  Unable to find a place to live in Burlington, her employment allowed them to live in the lower level of the hospital for a time.  After the sale of the parts store, they moved north of Bethune and tried their hand at dryland farming for about 10 years.  Jack’s military service also took them twice to Ft. Benning, Georgia and later to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.  Another year was spent living back on Bear Creek to help during the illness of her mother.  Always returning to Colorado, they stayed until Jack’s retirement in 1989.  To celebrate retirement, they sold their home in Burlington and travelled for three years in an RV.  In 1992, they settled in Lebanon, Missouri, where Mary lived until Jack’s passing in February 2011.   From there, she moved to Osage Beach, enjoying her home on Bradford Drive, surrounded by family, attending Riverview Baptist Church, and knowing she was back home where her life began in 1927.

Her oldest daughter, Susan and husband, Keith, live in Parkville, Missouri and her youngest daughter, Amber, lives in Greely, Colorado.

She leaves six grandchildren: Chris (Stephanie), Hannah (Dean), Asher (Amelia), Tabitha (Michael), Deidra (Mike) and Tarah (Mike) and 13 great-grandchildren: Ashley, Makayla, Stevie, Payton, Keenan, Jackson, Victoria, Katherine, Tyler, Sierra, Aspen, Elliana, and Graham. 

Mary is survived by her sister, Katherine Powell of St. Charles, Missouri; brother, Tennyson and his wife, Vivian of Brumley, Missouri; and many nieces and great-nieces, nephews and great-nephews. 

Her parents, husband, and brother (John R. and his wife, Betty), brother-in-law (Joe Powell) and another brother-in-law (C. Clark Rutter and his wife, Faye, of Burlington, Colorado) preceded her in death.

Services will be held Monday, February 26, 2018 at 11:00 am at Riverview Baptist Church, Osage Beach, Missouri.  The family will welcome friends for visitation from 10:00-11:00 am prior to services at the church.

Interment will follow at Boltz Cemetery, Brumley, Missouri.