Mary Susan Kinder

Mary Susan Kinder, 74, of Cape Girardeau passed away Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, at her home.

She was born May 14, 1940, at Saint Francis Hospital in Cape Girardeau, daughter of Joseph John and Gladys Ailene Sutton Sciortino.

She and Elroy F. Kinder were married in Saint Mary's Cathedral, Cape Girardeau, on Sept. 8, 1962.

Mary Susan was a graduate of Saint John, Saint Louis, School of Nursing as a registered nurse. Mary Susan worked at several hospitals, including Saint Francis in Cape Girardeau; Saint John in St. Louis; State Hospital on Arsenal Street, Saint Louis; and Lutheran Hospital, Saint Louis.

When Elroy transferred back to Cape Girardeau, she worked as school nurse in Alma Schrader, Franklin, Hawthorne and Jefferson schools for 15 years. In summers, she worked for the Missouri State Head Start program, traveling to outlying centers at Zalma, Farmington, Fredericktown and Marble Hill-Lutesville, Missouri. She also worked in the children's department of the Cape Girardeau Public Library.

Survivors include her husband of 52 years, Elroy F. Kinder; two sons, David F. (Cheryl) Kinder and John J. Kinder; two daughters, Kathy Jane Kinder and Jill Suzanne (Chris) Haman; one grandson, Jared Eli Kinder; two sisters, JoAnn Schnur of St. Charles, Missouri, and Jane Meesey of Des Peres, Missouri; one brother, James Michael Sciortino of Cape Girardeau; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Visitation will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Monday at Ford and Sons Mount Auburn Funeral Home in Cape Girardeau.

At 10 a.m. Monday, a service of remembrance and Christian promises will be officiated by the Rev. Jeffrey Sippy, formerly pastor for 12 years at Hanover Lutheran Church, now serving as senior pastor at Redeemer Lutheran, Springfield, Missouri, campus and Redeemer Lutheran, Nixa, Missouri, campus. At 10:30 a.m., Mary Susan will be taken to the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery at Bloomfield for interment.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Shady Grove Historic Cemetery Project, which Elroy and Susan organized, overseeing the cemetery grounds restoration. A fence, information board and resetting of the ancient stones and efforts to organize an arrangement to ensure perpetual care continue. Memorials may be made at the funeral home, or contact Elroy for more information. Memorials also may be made to ASPCA, working to protect animals from abuse.

Online condolences may be made at fordandsonsfuneralhome.com.