Mary Marcum

Mary Catherine “Mary Kay” Marcum, 78, of Leawood, KS, passed away on March 30, 2020, in Leawood from complications due to a stroke suffered on March 29th.

A celebration of Mary Kay’s life will be held at a future date.

Mary Kay was born on June 10th, 1941 in Chicago, IL to Lambert Peter Scholtes and Mary Rose Scholtes (born Walsh). She had two elder siblings, Carol Reilly and Peter Scholtes. She was raised in Oak Park, IL, where she graduated from Trinity High School and went on to attend Loretto Heights College in Denver, CO. Following graduation, Mary Kay became a registered nurse and moved to Roeland Park, KS, where she met James Paul “Jim” Marcum, Jr. They were married on February 4th, 1966 at Ascension Church in Oak Park.

Mary Kay and Jim remained in Johnson County to raise a family, initially residing in Overland Park before moving to a house they had built in Stilwell in 1978. Mary Kay initially left nursing to raise her children, but eventually returned in the early 1980’s, becoming the school nurse for the Blue Valley Middle School. She earned a master’s degree in 1986.

Mary Kay loved to travel. She and Jim took countless trips abroad, ranging from the Great Wall of China to the Galapagos Islands, Alaska to South Africa, Machu Picchu to the Pyramids of Giza. Additionally, they spent many happy summers at a family home at the Lake of the Ozarks and left several Kansas winters for the comforts of a property they owned in La Jolla, CA.

Mary Kay is survived by Jim, her husband of 54 years, her daughter Ann Kenny & son-in-law Jack Kenny, of Leawood, KS, her son James Paul Marcum III & daughter-in-law Keary Swinford Hanan of New York, NY & Amagansett, NY, four grandchildren- Catherine “Katie” & Will Kenny and James Paul IV “Jake” & Margaret Marcum, and her older sister Carol of La Jolla, CA.