Mary Virginia Knutson, 91, of Clinton, MO, passed away March 6, 2015 at St. Mary's Manor in Blue Springs, MO.

Mary was the daughter of William A. and Mary (Dehn) Hoppe of Clinton, and sister to Christine Hoppe and Billy George Hoppe of Clinton. Mary is survived by daughters Marilyn (Jon) Kerrick of Grain Valley, MO, and Nancy (Bill) Doran of Orlando, FL; son Mark (Jennifer) Pinkston of Lee's Summit, MO; and step-daughter Jan Broyles of Springfield, MO. She was a loving grandmother to 11 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Maynard "Knute" Knutson, her parents and siblings, step-son-in-law Phillip Broyles, and grandson Adam Broyles.

Mary grew up on a productive family farm southwest of Clinton and attended school in Clinton, graduating from Clinton High in 1941. She then 'moved to town' and attended a local secretarial school. Her training helped her gain employment first at the Ben Franklin store on the square, and then for several years at Crowe Coal Co. as an office clerk and bookkeeper. She married Floyd Pinkston in 1946 (three children, Marilyn, Nancy, and Mark), and as eventual owners/publishers of The Clinton Eye newspaper, she helped with general bookkeeping and other operational duties while raising three young children. In the 1960s, Mary served for several years as the administrative secretary at Clinton Junior High, followed by about 20 years' tenure at Henry County Family Services, first as a secretary and eventually as a caseworker.

In 1980 Mary wed Maynard (Knute) Knutson of Clinton, thus beginning an extremely active and productive phase of her life. Knute had already directed the local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) for many years at the time of their marriage, so Mary was immediately thrust into the frenzy of activities inherent with that mission. For the next couple of decades they routinely hosted innumerable gatherings of FCA kids in their home, attended scores of programs and events, and took hundreds of Clinton teens to FCA camps across the country. Mary tremendously enjoyed and thrived on the many events and activities associated with FCA and other Christian organizations. The couple also travelled extensively, taking multiple trips to Israel as well as many other destinations in Europe, Africa, and the extended US.

Mary loved her lifelong home of Clinton and served for many years as a volunteer at Golden Valley Hospital, attended Clinton United Methodist Church, enjoyed attending Bible studies with friends, and was a daily user of the walking track at the local senior center. She was an expert seamstress, fashioning countless outfits for her daughters and other apparel items for friends and family. Her petite stature complemented her exceedingly gracious and selfless demeanor, traits that also endeared her to staff and patrons at the aptly-named St. Mary's Manor nursing facility in Blue Springs, where Mary lived her last six years.

A funeral service celebrating the life of Mary will convene at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, March 11, at Vansant-Mills Funeral Home in Clinton, followed by interment at Englewood Cemetery. Memorial contributions are encouraged to be directed to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Fond memories and condolences may be left online at www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Vansant-Mills Funeral Home of Clinton, Missouri.