Mary Ricci Obermeier

Mary Ricci Obermeier died peacefully on Sunday, January 19, 2025, in Venice, FL. She was 89. Her family members were at her bedside during her final days in the hospital and hospice, as was Mary’s eternal sense of humor. While Mary spent most of her career in hospitals, she was not born in one. After three days’ labor, which her mother often reminded her of, Mary was born at home in the small town of Osawatomie, Kansas, during the depression, in December 1935. Mary’s parents, Giuseppe & Anna (Protomanni) Ricci, had emigrated years apart from Pisterzo, Italy, and they made Mary Josephine a first-generation American. Ursuline nuns at St. Philip Neri Catholic Grade School educated Mary, who attended two classes: Grades 1-6, and Grades 7-8. She then graduated Osawatomie High School in 1953. Her children were surprised to learn that her senior superlative was “Most Athletic.” In 1950, when she was only 14, the intrepid Mary drove her parents to Canada (before interstate highways) in her dad’s ‘35 Dodge. While visiting family, a cousin - who was a nurse - recognized Mary’s stomachache as a ruptured appendix, which required emergency surgery in Canada. This life-saving measure may have inspired her to pursue a career as a registered nurse. In 1957, she graduated St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing, in Kansas City, Missouri, where her classmates nicknamed her “Smirk.” That same year, Mary married Everett Obermeier. The couple had three sons. In 1964, the family moved to Olathe, Kansas. Mary left Osawatomie State Hospital to work at Shawnee Mission Medical Center (SMMC) in Merriam, Kansas. In May 1972, Head Nurse Mary was named SMMC’s Employee of the Year. She was a skilled worker with deep empathy for patients and an irrepressible sense of humor. In July 1972, Mary drove her children to start a new life in Venice, Florida. There, Mary worked as a floor nurse at Venice Hospital; she also took a second job at Venice Nursing Home South to pay for her children’s education at Epiphany Catholic School and Cardinal Mooney High School. In 1980, Mary and two other nurses invested in a shrimp boat. This enterprise was hatched over beer and cigarettes at Mary’s, where co-workers often congregated after their 7-3 shift. They hired a captain of questionable competence, and spent one stormy night adrift in the Gulf of Mexico until the Coast Guard rescued them. After Mary’s get-rich-quick scheme as a shrimp boat co-owner literally sank, she continued working full time until 2000, spending time in oncology, geriatrics, medical-surgical units, intensive care, and obstetrics. Throughout it all, Mary never lost her compassion nor her gift for caregiving. Mary had a generous spirit, especially at Christmas. She opened her home to those in need, both human and canine. Mary enjoyed hosting Christmas Eve parties, cooking enormous meals for her family, a well-played game of cards, a good scotch, the game shows of the 1970s, Gunsmoke, and outings with her grandchildren. She had a life-long devotion to St. Jude, the patron saint of impossible causes. She generally cheered for the underdog, except when it came to her life-long love of the Yankees. She also loved sarcastic repartee and insult humor. But Mary’s bullet-proof exterior concealed a deep wellspring of love, and she could be moved to tears by anything from a grandchild’s wedding, to the strains of “Pomp & Circumstance,” to her lifelong favorite movie, Gone With the Wind. She was an independent, self-proclaimed “tough old bird.” But let the record show Mary did things “My Way.” Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Anna Ricci, and her brother, Joseph Ulderico Ricci. She is survived by her three sons and daughters-in-law: Steven Jude (Lisa), of Olathe, Kansas, Thomas (Kindra), of Venice, FL, and Andrew (Bernadette), of Venice, FL; eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. “Auntie M.” also leaves three nephews and a niece. We will miss her dearly. She also leaves her beloved Scarlet, a Jack Russell Terrier, and she thanks her long-time neighbors, Rich & Bonnie Nielsen, for adopting her. Mary’s funeral mass will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at Epiphany Cathedral’s Parish Center, 317 Sarasota Street, Venice Florida. "Mary requested no visitation and no flowers. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105." "Mary requested no visitation. For online condolences and a full obituary, please visit https://www.toalebrothers.com/"

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Mary Ricci Obermeier

January 19, 2025