Mary E. (Bookless) Tempero was born in Nickerson, Kansas on June 30, 1927 to Ross and Cleo (Vansickle) Bookless. She married Gordon Tempero on December 25, 1948. Mary had graduated from Grace Hospital Nursing School in 1948 and later earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Fort Hays State University. Gordon and Mary made their home in Scott City, KS and Mary was the Director of Nursing in the early years of the Scott County Hospital. She then served as the first school nurse for the Scott County schools until her retirement. Mary taught herself to knit and operated a knit shop from her home for many years. She also enjoyed traveling, camping, dancing, quilting and jewelry-making, but especially enjoyed spending time with and caring for her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Upon retirement, Gordon and Mary went on the road full-time and traveled all 50 States and parts of Canada as well as several other countries. Mary loved lighthouses and made extra efforts to visit as many as they could and collected many miniatures of them, amassing quite a collection. When it was time to re-establish roots, they settled in Aldersgate Retirement Community in Topeka, KS.
Mary passed peacefully into eternal life surrounded by her family on May 19, 2024 at Aldersgate Village.
She is survived by her son Preston (Libby)Tempero of Liberty, MO, her daughter Beth (Eugene)Fisher of Hays, KS, her grandchildren Amanda Fisher Lange (fiancé, Ben Koekemoer), Rebecca (Kevin)Holsch, and Alison Tempero (fiance’, Adrian Sinclair), her great grandchildren Hannah Johnston, Austin Lange, Clark and Vance Rosenbarger, Alahna and Ashtyn Holsch, and her great-great granddaughter, Berkley Johnston.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brothers Eugene, Eldon, and Harry Bookless, her sister, Carol Switzer, and sister-in-law, Patricia Bookless.
Services will be at First United Methodist Church in Topeka, Kansas (600 SW Topeka Blvd.) at 10:00 am on June 1, 2024. There will be visitation with friends and family at 9:30 am at the church. The memorial service will be live-streamed at: http://www.forthegoodofthecity.org/podcasts/media
Inurnment will follow the services at 4:00 pm on June 1, 2024, at the Wildmead Cemetery in Nickerson, KS.
Memorial donations can be made to the Scott Community Foundation in Scott City, KS (424 S. Main, Scott City, KS 67871). A notation in the memo to: Tempero Family Memorial Fund will assure it goes to the correct fund. Donations can also be accepted online at: scottcf.org/Tempero Family Memorial Fund.