Martha Ann Clay

Martha Ann Clay was born July 28, 1914 on a farm south of Ingalls, (Gray County), Kansas and died June 13, 2012 at Mt. Joseph Senior Village, Concordia, Kansas.
Ann, as she preferred to be called, was the seventh child of Joseph and Agnes Kowalski Bernasky. She would have been 98 years young next month! She attended the first two years of school in a country school, called Gray County. Her family moved north of Charleston, Kansas when the county school consolidated. She then attended grade and high school in Ingalls, KS completing her senior year and graduating from Dodge City Public High School. After two years of Community College in Dodge City, she met and married Robert M. Clay of Spearville, KS on March 1, 1938. To this union was born one son, Robert J. Clay.
While in Spearville she served as president of St. John the Baptist Altar Society for two terms. She was the city librarian for seven years and also served as a substitute rural mail carrier for the U.S. Post Office of Spearville. In 1953 Bob, Ann and little Bob moved to Concordia, KS where she was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, the Altar Society and St. Ann's guild. For several years she was employed be Dr. Dean Blackwood and credited him with "fixing her back, else she would have been crippled for life!" (her words). She also worked for Paul Turner in his dry cleaning shop. She volunteered at the Catholic Thrift Shop for seventeen years. She was a fine seamstress and upholstered furniture for twenty years. Even after moving to Mt. Joseph, she continued to alter clothing and shorten trousers, for herself and others.
She made the transition from home to assisted living, taking it in stride, with a smile and a great sense of humor. She quickly endeared herself to residents and staff alike, enjoying playing cards and bingo with the best of them. Her increasing loss of vision and hearing were a trial to her, but she would shrug her shoulders and say "oh well, some have it worse than me."
Ann and Bob lost their son, young Bob, in a tragic car accident in 1962. She was preceded in death by her son, Robert J., her husband, Robert M., her parents, three brothers, three sisters and one niece, her husband's parents, Elbert and wife Hazel Champlin Clay of Spearville, KS.
She is survived by nieces and nephews: Glenn and Phyllis Montgomery, Gail and Frances Bauer of El Paso, TX; John and Judy Rernasky, Mary Jane Embree of Garden City, KS and cousins George and Nancy Champlin of Concordia, Carolyn Cordwell and Marcia Champlin of Jamestown and Gary Champlin of Tempe, AZ.
Mass of Christian Burial will be Saturday, June 16, 2012 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church with Fr. Barry Brinkman officiating. Burial will be in St. Concordia Cemetery. Visitation will be Friday, June 15 from 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. at Nutter Mortuary Chapel. Altar Society Rosary at 5:00 p.m. Vigil Service at 6:30 p.m.
Memorials may be given to the OLOPH Catholic Church or Mt. Joseph Sr. Village.
Online condolences may be sent to nuttermortuary@yahoo.com