Mary Anna (McCrary) Wertin, 95, of Auburn, died on Sunday evening, March 26, 2023, at Arcadia Care in Auburn.
Private family services will be held at Litchfield Family Funeral Services. Burial will follow at Holy Family Cemetery in Litchfield.
Mrs. Wertin was born Feb. 24, 1928, in Kansas City, KS, to Elmer and Ellen (Wills) McCrary. She married John L. Wertin, and he preceded her in death.
She graduated from Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City, KS, in 1945. She was employed at Owens Corning Fiberglass for 11 years, with her last two years as secretary to the plant manager, until she married. Traveling for her husband’s work, they lived in eight different states before settling in Litchfield.
In 1979, Mrs. Wertin went to work for the Litchfield Unit #12 School District as a secretary at New Hope School. After its closing, she joined Litchfield High School working in the office as one of three secretaries until her retirement in 1991, after which she returned to Kansas City, KS, to care for her mother.
Saying she loved genealogy and working on her family tree would be an understatement. She spent many years volunteering at numerous cemeteries in several states, uncovering hidden headstones, mapping and charting burial locations, updating cemetery records and burial plot maps. Her work positively impacted both the cemetery and surviving relatives, with much of her work in Kansas being published locally.
Mrs. Wertin was a volunteer at the Jackson County Historical Society in Independence, MO, and a member of Wyandotte County, KS Genealogical Society. From 2007 to 2012 she served as sexton and recorder of deeds for the Crabtree Cemetery Association. She was also a member of the Montgomery County Genealogical Society in Litchfield.
Among her most treasured achievements was acceptance into the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution and serving as registrar for the Wyandot Chapter of the DAR.
Mrs. Wertin is survived by her daughter, Ellen Suzanne (Mitchell) Warnsing of Auburn; sons, James Anthony (Meg) Wertin of Litchfield and Matthew Jay Wertin of Florida; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; grandson, Joshua Howard; and brother, James McCrary.
Memorials may be directed to Holy Family Catholic Church in Litchfield or the Meals on Wheels program. Online condolences to the family may be left at www.litchfieldffs.com.
