Mae Marshall Blythe was born November 19, 1936 at Hugo, Colorado, to Ben H. and Edna (Sergent) Marshall. She died in Newton, Kansas March 30, 2014.
Her childhood was spent on the family farm in rural eastern Colorado. Times were always tight, but she has many happy memories of those years. She graduated from Limon High School in 1954, and received a BA in Elementary Education from Ottawa University in 1960.
In 1958, she was joined in marriage to Paul Blythe. She taught elementary school for 2 years before beginning her family. They resided in Atchison, Kansas for 13 years where she was actively involved in the First Baptist Church, the community and raising her family. They moved to Elbing, Kansas in 1975 to provide their daughters with a Christian Education at Berean Academy. She and Paul moved from their rural home to Newton in 1990. They were active members of the First Baptist Church of Newton where she taught the O.U.R. Sunday School class for many years.
In 1982, with her family nearly raised, she began a new ministry when she joined the staff of Berean Academy. There she taught junior high English, coached forensics, and directed many plays before retiring after 19 years of service in 2001.
In her retirement years, she enjoyed numerous trips and cruises with her husband and found new time for her love of painting and art. She was an accomplished artist, winning numerous awards and was member of The Carriage Factory Gallery and a founding member of the Tuesday Morning Artists. She treasured her family, cultivating relationships with her children and grandchildren. She always considered her most important roles to be that of wife, mother and grandmother.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Paul; her four daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren, Kerry and Daniel Nunley, Sam, Eric and Blythe of Tulsa, OK; Lisa and Tony Butterfield, Lindsay and Tyler of Lenexa, KS; Joy and Bill Carp, Brandon and Gavin of Wichita, KS; and Ruth and Larry Boettcher and Kate, of Newton, KS; sister Meg Ricke of Parker, CO and brother and sister-in-law, Ward and Joan Marshall, of Yuma, CO. She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Ben Marshall.
Visitation will be held at Broadway Colonial Funeral home from 1 to 8 pm Thursday April 3 and Friday April 4 with family present from 6 to 8 pm each evening. Services will be held at the Salem United Methodist Church at 10:30am Saturday March 5 as the First Baptist Church sanctuary is currently under renovation. Memorials have been established with Berean Academy and The Carriage Factory Gallery.