Mary Ann Lane

Mary Ann Lane, age 94, of Overland Park, Kansas, passed away on 12/1/2020. She was born on March 22, 1926, the daughter of Walter W. and Ida (Volk) Lantsberger, on the family farm north of Castlewood, SD in Appleby. She was the third of four children.

Mary Ann's childhood was spent on the family farm. She walked the railroad tracks a mile and a half to get in the one room country schoolhouse. She completed two years of elementary school in one when she was the only child in the lower grade. She attended Castlewood HS for three years then graduated from Watertown in 1943 at the age of 17. St. Mary's college in Omaha was where Mary Ann furthered her education and studied accounting. She joined the Beta Sigma Phi sorority, which she was active in for over 60 years. During these years she served in many positions, most frequently as treasurer.

On October 8, 1952, Mary Ann was wed to Lyle Herriott at St. John's Catholic Church in Castlewood, SD. They were married for 32 years. From this union came four children, three sons followed by a daughter. She loved all her children and they each knew how special they were to her. In 1986, Mary Ann married JP Lane. They had been married less than 5 short years at the time of his death.

Mary Ann enjoyed traveling whenever possible. When the children were young she pulled a camper across the western United States for six weeks while her husband was working in Vietnam. A few months later the family would move to Nicaragua for 18 months. In her 70's and 80's she enjoyed traveling with her brother in the autumn season to see the fall colors and gamble. She was known for picking up hitchhikers that looked respectable. She also enjoyed traveling to other countries with her favorite being Peru.

During her childhood, Mary Ann enjoyed ice-skating on the creek that ran by the family farm for miles with friends. During the summer, she was on the softball diamond. She was best known for her ability to throw the ball a country mile to get the runner out. As a teenager Mary Ann took flight lessons and soloed for the first time at age 18. It was something she enjoyed for years before taking the time to raise her four children. In her retirement years, she would again take flying lessons. She enjoyed hunting on the family farm and opening day of pheasant season was a special time for her family to gather together.

Mary Ann was very active in her Catholic faith life. She was a member of the altar society at the many parishes she attended. She helped count the weekly collections for over 30 years between two parishes. She had the opportunity to participate in Christ Renews His Parish at Ascension Parish in Overland Park KS. Mary Ann frequently talked about how special this group was.

Mary Ann enjoyed doing many crafts including needlepoint, hardanger, sewing and knitting. Each year she took pride in the Christmas cards she handmade for both friends and relatives.

Mary Ann will be missed by many, including her four children and their families; Doug and Kathy Herriott of Lee's Summit MO, Brianne (Schuler, husband Jeff, and great-grandson Ellis) and Brooke; Jim and Pam Herriott of Boulder CO, Hannah; Mark and Kim Herriott of Overland Park KS, Zachary and Morgan; Rebecca and Bob Cronin of Rapid City SD, John, Theresa (Jacob and husband Patrick), Sandra, Christopher and Nicholas. She was preceded in death by her parents, her siblings Loraine, Richard, and James; and grandson James Cronin.





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