BOLIVAR, Mo. — Mary Lou Sanders, 79, passed away on Sept. 29, 2026, in Bolivar, Mo. Born on March 23, 1947, in Fort Smith, Ark., to Albert and Dorothea Corrotto, Mary Lou was faithfully raised in the Catholic Church. She graduated from St. Scholastica Academy.
She was the wife of Donald Wayne Sanders. They shared over 60 years together in Great Bend, Kan., Sterling, Kan., and Bolivar, Mo.
Food was one of Mary Lou’s favorite love languages and her most cherished times were spent with family and friends playing games. She is also fondly remembered for her love of gardening, planting flowers, and playing the piano. Most of all, her faith was the cornerstone of her life, cherished deeply and shared generously with those around her.
Mary Lou worked for Mobil Oil Co. as an office manager, built a family business, DWS Properties, served as city clerk in Sterling, Kan., and as secretary at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Lyons, Kan.
She is survived by three children, Donald Jr. (Tamara) Sanders of Hoisington, Kan., Rebecca (Chris) Pomeroy of Bolivar, Mo.; Seth (Katie) Sanders of Bartlesville, Okla.; 12 grandchildren, Zane Sanders, Zachary (Kynnedy) Sanders, Natalie ‘Lexi’ (Clayton) Jackson, Zade (Sidney) Sanders, Cheyanne (Alex) Brown, Marila Pomeroy, Bailey (Austin) Gutknecht, Marenna Pomeroy, Elijah Sanders, Miriam Sanders, Annabelle Sanders, and Judiah Sanders; six great-grandchildren, Westin Sanders, Aiyla Brown, Emory Jackson, Walker Sanders, Callen Jackson, and Hudson Sanders. In addition to her husband and family, she is survived by her brother-in-law, David Westmoreland; her sister-in-law, Sherry Wewers. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Holly Hudspeth and Dorothy Westmoreland; and her brothers-in-law, Bobby Hudspeth and Tommy Wewers.
Services for Mary were held on 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5, 2026 at the Sacred Hearth Catholic Church in Bolivar, Mo. She was laid to rest on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2026 at the Sanders Cemetery in Cedar Creek, Ark. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Bolivar, Mo., or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Funeral arrangements provided by
Butler Funeral Home
407 E. Broadway
Bolivar, MO 65613
Great Bend (Kan.) Tribune, Oct. 10, 2026
