Mary Louise (Wooldridge) Detweiler, 91, of Kirksville, Missouri, passed away Friday, October 16, 2020 at Boone Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, surrounded by her family.

Mary Lou was born on July 12, 1929 in Houston, Texas the daughter of William and Leta (Maxey) Wooldridge. Lou attendee and graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas where she met her husband Reverend Richard Jessee Detweiler. They were married on June 21, 1952. Mary Lou and Richard then moved to New York City for Richard to earn his graduate degree at NYU, Saint Paul's School of Theology. While there Mary Lou worked at Chase Manhattan Bank. Mary Lou told stories of how employees would call her line just to hear her southern bell Texas accent.

Following Richard's ordination into the United Methodist ministry, the couple served a number of congregations across Missouri during their 60 years of marriage including First United Methodist in Kirksville where the whole Detweiler family made their home first in June 1970 and then finally in retirement in 1991. Mary Lou was also a life-long learner and returned to school to earn her Master's in Library Science in 1978 at the NMSU.

She is survived by her brother-in-law, Jack Detweiler and his wife Kim; three of her children, son Peter and his wife Kyeongdan, son Paul, daughter Susan Louise, and daughter-in-law Sue, five grandchildren Chrystal and husband Dave Schwartz, Sara and husband Josh Funk, Abby and husband Shahed Badiyan, Ashley and husband Trent Barnes, and Jesse and wife Jessica and seven great-grandchildren, Eva, Julian, Aldo, Riley, Lewis, Nicholas, and Bronwyn.

She was preceded in death by her husband Reverend Richard Detweiler on July 25, 2012, oldest son Richard Lee Detweiler, and brothers William and Charles Wooldridge.

Mary Lou will be remembered by her friends and family for her kindness, her love of reading that she instilled into her grandchildren and her devotion to the church. Her greatest and favorite accomplishment was her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The mere mention of their names would bring a bright smile full of joy every time.

Mary Lou has been cremated and private burial will be held in Park View Memorial Gardens in Kirksville.

Expressions of sympathy in memory of Mary Lou may be made to the First United Methodist Church of Kirksville and may be left at or mailed to Travis-Noe Funeral Home, P.O. Box 306, Kirksville, MO 63501.