Mary Ann Piper

October 13, 1939 - December 26, 2016

Mary Ann Piper, 77, of Washington Iowa, passed away on December 26, 2016, at McCreedy Home following a brief illness. Cremation is being handled by Jones and Eden Funeral Home. Online condolences may be sent to Mary Ann’s family at www.jonesfh.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Hospice of Washington County or McCreedy Home. She was born on October 13, 1939, in Keokuk, Iowa, the daughter of Harry Emit and Violet Marie (Sells) Shafer. In family snapshots or studio portraits, Mary Ann was always the one with the sparkle in her eyes and a slightly mischievous smile. She grew up in Fort Madison, and in high school abandoned piano lessons in favor of singing. She excelled in district and state vocal competitions, was a soloist at her graduation from Fort Madison High School, and later sang at numerous weddings. After graduating from the University of Northern Iowa, her first teaching job was in Washington, where she taught three generations of elementary school students during her 37-year career here. She was united in marriage to John Wendell Piper in 1964, and lived most of her adult life in Washington and Columbus Junction. A trip to Thailand twenty plus years ago to visit their daughter, who was in the Peace Corps, led to many return trips for Mary Ann and John. After retiring, they spent half of each year in Thailand with side trips to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Korea. John died suddenly in May 2014, just after their last trip to Thailand. Mary Ann lived in McCreedy Home for two and a half years, where she gracefully accepted her reduced capabilities and kept her room as neat and precisely arranged as her home had always been. Fashion-conscious to the end, she loved to go shopping and was always stylishly dressed. An enthusiastic Hawkeye fan, she was still quoting schedules, scores, and rankings until shortly before her death. Mary Ann was a member of the Methodist Church in Washington and the American Legion Auxilary of Columbus Junction. She is survived by her daughter, Lisa Kay Piper of Jordan, and a brother, Thomas Shafer and his wife Melody of Geneva, Florida. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband.