Mary Ann STEYAERT

Mary Ann Steyaert (March 14, 1946-December 7, 2024) Mary Ann Steyaert, age 78, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2024 at the Lutheran Senior Services Meramec Bluffs Community located in Balwin, Missouri where she had resided for more than two years. She died due to complications associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Mary Ann spent most of her life living in Columbia, Missouri where she completed her college education and worked at the University of Missouri in the general field of food science and nutrition until retiring in 2012. She valued her church community, her many friends, her pet cats, and especially her close family. She loved to cook, going out to dinner, gardening, and travel. Mary Ann was born on March 14, 1946 at the Lakeview Hospital in North Kansas City, Missouri. Her Father was Donald Oliver Reid and Mother Helen Frances Hamilton of Galt, Missouri. She was raised in North Kansas City and attended North Kansas City High School. Mary Ann attended the University of Missouri- Columbia from 1964-1967, College Arts and Sciences where she studied both Spanish and French languages. After meeting at the University in 1964, Louis Steyaert and Mary Ann Reid were married on June 10, 1967 at the First Methodist Church in North Kansas City. From 1967-1971 as a "navy wife", Mary Ann accompanied her husband to Newport, Rhode Island and later Coos Bay, Oregon where he served as a U.S. Naval Officer. In Newport, Mary Ann was employed as a Head Start teacher in 1968. After moving to Oregon, their daughter Holly Michelle was born in North Bend, Oregon on December 15, 1969. Upon holding her newborn daughter for the first time, Mary Ann expressed great joy and proudly told everyone in the delivery room, "That's Holly!" Upon returning to Columbia, Missouri in June 1971, Mary Ann explored new ways to resume her college education. She took a series of career planning tests and learned to her surprise that she had both the aptitude and interests in college chemistry, biology, and related human health science courses. Her success in high school chemistry was no accident. She subsequently majored in Food Science and Nutrition and graduated with her bachelor’s degree in May 1976 from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Beginning in 1982, Mary Ann was employed at the University of Missouri-Columbia as a research technician working in the Lab of Dr. Edward Coe conducting research on Maize Genetics, located at Curtis Hall. She enjoyed assisting by helping to plant and harvest the crops, and then helping to sort the kernels, build the database, and enter the data into the computer. She received training and certifications in COBOL and Advanced COBOL computer programming in 1985 and 1986. Beginning in 2004, Mary Ann worked in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, Office of the Chair, located at Gwynn Hall, Food Management and Nutrition Department as a Senior Secretary. During this time, Mary Ann was honored to be chosen as one of the Student Chaperones for visiting undergraduate Dietetics students studying in Florence, Italy. She traveled to Italy twice, where she was able to learn and enhance her love for Italian cooking. She retired from the University in 2012. Mary Ann was an active member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Columbia, where she met her companion of 18 years, Philip Lee. Together they enjoyed attending church functions at Trinity, attending MU basketball and football games, and traveling which included attending the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Together they also enjoyed gardening, going out to eat, and spending time with family. In 2000, she welcomed her first grandchild, Brandon, and in 2002 her second grandchild, Kaitlyn. Mary Ann was a proud grandmother and would travel to St Louis often to be with them. Together they enjoyed going to the St Louis Zoo, the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and shopping. Mary Ann is preceded in death by her mother, Helen Kraus, North Kansas City, grandmother Mayme Hamilton, Kansas City, her brother, Bobby Gorrell, of California, her sister Jo Ann Simons and her husband Robert Simons, Kansas City, and her companion Philip Lee, Columbia. She is survived by her daughter Holly Stevens and her husband John “Scott” Stevens III, Saint Peters, MO, two grandchildren Brandon Stevens and his partner Anna Burke, and Kaitlyn Stevens of St Peters, nephew Danny Mathis, Houston, and former husband Louis Steyaert, Maryland. Visitation will be held on Tuesday, December 17th, 2024 at Grace Gospel Temple Church, 2407 Droste Rd, St Charles, MO 63301 from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm, with a service at 1:00 pm. Burial will be in the Galt West Cemetery located in Galt, MO. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Grace Gospel Temple Church.

Mary Ann STEYAERT

March 14, 1946 - December 7, 2024