Marvis Lee (Bayless) Wonnell
June 6, 1946 - Nov. 30, 1999
Marvis Lee Wonnell, 53, DeSoto, died Tuesday, Nov. 30, 1999, at her home. She was born June 6, 1946, in Parsons, KS, the daughter of Thomas and Sylvia ( Adams) Bayless. She lived in the area most of her life.
After high school, she attended beauty college in Parsons. Upon graduation,
she worked as a beautician from the mid-1960s until 1974, first in Neodesha
and then in Lawrence, KS.
Her daughter, Kary, was born in 1967. Marvis married Gary Wonnell in 1972 and they lived in DeSoto, KS. After being a stay-at-home mom for a couple of years, she worked for the garment manufacturer Swingster as a quality control inspector for seven years. A neck and shoulder injury put her at home to help with the family trucking business, attend to their small farmstead, and retire.
Marvis loved to garden and tend to the yard. She proved to be adept at sewing, crocheting and painting the interior of their house.
In 1999, Marvis was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. She died in her home six weeks after diagnosis. She was preceded in death by her parents and a grandson, Grant Kieffaber.
Survivors include her husband, Gary Wonnell, of the home; her daughter, Kary Arthur, Eudora, KS; brother, Cecil Bayless, Independence, KS; two sisters, Freda Knox, Commerce, OK; and Judith Schrick, Lawrence, KS, and one grandson.
The funeral was at the DeSoto Baptist Church. Burial was in DeSoto Cemetery.
