Obituary of Mary Ann South

Mary Ann (Letherer) South, 74, of Eldon, Missouri, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at Rock Island Village Assisted Living surrounded by her family.

Mary was born on January 11, 1949, in Hillsdale, Michigan to Merlin F. Letherer and Virginia Mae (Griffith) with her twin sister Marjorie Jean Letherer Carr.

Mary was raised in Hillsdale County, Michigan and graduated from Pittsford High School in June of 1967.

On July 17, 1977, Mary joined the U.S. Army Reserves for 3 years and was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri where she met and married Clifford R. South on March 15, 1980. They shared nearly 30 years of marriage at the time of his passing on March 7, 2010.

Mary and Clifford lived in St. Anthony, Missouri until 1994, then moved their family to Iberia, Missouri. They were active members of the Iberia First Baptist Church from 1988 to 1998 where Mary was active in Sunday School and Outreach.

Mary was incredibly adventurous and enjoyed traveling. She loved a good road trip, whether it was a trip down the road to go shopping, or a several day road trip with one of her kids or grandchildren to Wyoming, Florida, Michigan, or wherever sounded fun in the moment. Above everything else, Mary loved to spend time with her family. She was very proud of her children and loved watching her grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow. She will always be remembered by her spunky personality, creative and crafty soul, and her sarcastic sense of humor.  She was loved by so many and will be dearly missed.

Mary is survived by her daughters, Dawn Evans (Nathan), Amanda Scharfenberg (Roy), Lisa Harper (Rocky), and Jacqueline Hoag (Bob); son, Robert South (Michelle); sisters Helen Jordan, Marjorie Carr, Dora Letherer, Dortha Ming (Scott), and Bonnie Tew (Will); brother Earnest “Dean” Letherer; grandchildren Jamey Evans (Mimi), Moriah Jackson (Cory), Zachary Evans (Gillian), Emily Mettler (Cody), Breanna South, Jacob South, Dylan South, Jason Heinen, Colton Sheehan, Shanoah Sheehan, Rachel Billingsley, Kevin Compton (Shelaine), Nicole Jones (Devin), and Denese Rios (Israel); 19 great-grandchildren; and 1 great-great-grandchild.

The family would like to thank all of the staff at Rock Island Village for their love and support over the last few years.

Services to honor the life of Mary Ann South will be held on Saturday, September 30, 2023, at Hedges-Scott Funeral Home in Osage Beach, Missouri at 4:00pm. Visitation will begin an hour prior to the service at 3:00pm.

A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at Sand Lake Valley Cemetery in Hillsdale, Michigan at 12:00pm.