Early Life
Mary Lela Currey was born on 17 August 1901 in Lansing, Leavenworth County, Kansas, to Hiram Miles Currey and Winifred Mae “Winnie” Hutchinson. She grew up in Kansas with her siblings and appears in both the 1905 Kansas State Census and the 1910 U.S. Census as a young child in the household.
By 1916, Mary graduated from Horace Mann School in Kansas City, Missouri, an achievement noted in the Kansas City Times.
Marriage and Family
On 2 February 1919, at just 17 years old, Mary married Joseph Louis Walters in Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri.
Joseph was born on 4 March 1897 in Garfield, Benton County, Arkansas, and later worked as a carpenter. He served briefly in the U.S. Army during World War I, enlisting in September 1918 and being discharged in January 1919.
Together, Mary and Joseph raised several children:
- Louis Elwyn Walters – born 18 November 1919 in North Kansas City, Missouri; married Louise Roach in 1940; died 6 June 1978.
- Claude Arnold Walters – born 27 October 1921 in North Kansas City, Missouri; married Janet B. Perkow in 1942; served in World War II and died in combat on 8 February 1945 in the Rhine Valley.
- Julia Walters – born about 1924 in Kansas; died before 1930 at a young age, likely the “baby” buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Dodge City.
- Doral LaVerne Walters – born 18 September 1925 in Dodge City; died one month later on 16 October 1925, buried at Maple Grove Cemetery.
Residences and Daily Life
Mary and Joseph moved frequently in their early years together. In 1925, the family was living in Garden City, Kansas. By 1930, they had relocated to North Kansas City, Missouri, and by 1940 they were living at 2607 Prairie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.
During the 1960s, Mary lived in Round Lake, Illinois, where she was active in her community and a member of the First Baptist Church of Libertyville. In 1964, she attended a Currey family reunion in Sedona, Arizona.
Later Years and Passing
Mary passed away on 8 December 1977 at Crown Manor Nursing Home in Zion, Lake County, Illinois, at the age of 76. Her obituary in the Waukegan News Sun read:
“Mary L. Walters, 76, of 1519 Ridgeway Ave., Round Lake Beach died Thursday, Dec. 8 at Crown Manor Nursing Home in Zion. Mrs. Walters was born Aug. 17, 1901 in Lansing, Kansas, and had lived in Round Lake Beach for the past 14 years. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Libertyville. Survivors include her husband Joseph; one son Louis of Round Lake; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; two sisters, Winnie Crawford of Dodge City, Kansas, and Alma Grenier of Sidonia, Arizona; and one brother, Ernest Currey of Denver, Colorado.”
Her funeral was held on 12 December 1977 at the First Baptist Church of Libertyville, with burial following at Highland Memorial Park in Lake County, Illinois.
Joseph survived Mary by just a few years, dying on 7 April 1980 at St. Therese Hospital in Round Lake Beach at the age of 83.
Historical Context
Mary Lela Currey’s life spanned much of the 20th century, a period of immense change in America. Born in the first decade of the century, she experienced:
- World War I as a teenager, when her future husband Joseph briefly served.
- The Great Depression, which overlapped with her years raising young children in Kansas and Missouri.
- World War II, during which her son Claude gave his life in service.
- The postwar years, marked by suburban growth, mobility, and community church life, which she enjoyed in Round Lake, Illinois.
Mary’s story reflects the resilience of Midwestern families who moved often for opportunity, relied on church and family gatherings for connection, and lived through wars and economic uncertainty. Her legacy continues through her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
SOURCES:
1. Funeral Card / Memorial Book, Funeral program for Mary l. Walters (Curry.Notebook),
2. Hiram Currey, Hiram Currey Family Bible (New York: American Bible Society, 1880); Marcia Philbrick, Seneca, KS, Family Record
3. Waukegan News Sun, (Waukegan, Illinois), 10 December 1977; Memorial Obituary. Walters.
4. 1905 Kansas State Census, Leavenworth County, Kansas, state census, Lansing, Leavenworth County, Kansas, page 2, Image 3 of 58, household 11, H M Curry; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online November 2017); Kansas State Historical Society
5. 1910 U.S. Census, Rooks County, Kansas, population schedule, Twin Mound Township, Rooks County, Kansas, ED 168, Sheet 11A, Image 6 of 8, household 201, Currey Hiram M; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online November 2017); NARA microfilm publication T6224
6. “Horace Mann Graduates,” The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri), 6 June 1916, page 3; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 9 August 2021).
7. 1925 Kansas Census, Finney County, Kansas, Kansas State Census, Garden City, Finney County, Kansas, page 5, Image 230 of 264, household 3, J. L. Walters; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online September 2016); Kansas State Historical Society
8. 1930 U.S. Census, Clay County, Missouri, population schedule, District 10, North Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri, SD 2, ED 24-10, Sheet 9B, Image 18 of 52, family 291, Joseph L. Walters; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online September 2016); NARA T626
9. 1940 U.S. Census, Cook County, Illinois, population, Ward 1, Chicago, enumeration district (ED) SD 1, ED 103-43, AA1, 2607, Joseph Walters; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online 15 November 2015); National Archivers and Records Administration, 1940. T627.
10. Deaths, Dodge City Daily Globe, Dodge City, Kansas, 15 Se[ 1043, page 2.
11. Currey Siblings Taylor’s Host Reunioni, Sedona, Arizona, August 1964, Crawford Family Papers, privately held by Marcia Philbrick, Seneca, KS 66538.
12. “Herbert M. Currey,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah), 23 April 1971, page 28; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 10 July 2021).
13. Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online June 2016), Mary Walters, #349-20-8061, issued before 1951.
14. , Obituary Clipping (N.p.: n.p., n.d.).
15. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : online 13 November 2015), Find a Grave Memorial no. 125597498, created by Rich, citing Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery, Hillside, Cook, Illinois, United States; accompanying photograph by photo added by BParker, PFC Claude A. Walters.
16. Social Security Administration, “Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007,” database on-line, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901/ : online 15 November 2015), Claude A. Walters.
17. Social Security Administration, “Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007,” database on-line Louis Elwin Walters.
18. Jackson County Clerk Kansas City, Missouri, “Jackson County Marriage Records, 1840-1985,” image, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : online 17 November 2015), Mary Currey.
19. Jackson County Clerk Kansas City, Missouri, “Jackson County Marriage Records, 1840-1985,” image Mary Currey / Joseph L. Walters.
20. Missouri, Missouri, Marriage Records, 1805-2002, Joseph L. Walters and Mary Currey, 30 January 1919; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online June 2016).
21. “Jackson County, Missouri, Marriage Records, 1826-2014,” Jackson County Missouri Recorder of Deeds, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed online (25 December 2019), Mary Currey.
22. “Marriage Document Access,” database, Jackson County (Missouri) Recorder of Deeds Web Access (https://aumentumweb.jacksongov.org/Marriage/: viewed online 25 December 2019), .
23. “Marriage Licenses,” The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri), 31 January 1919, page 13; digital images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : viewed online 8 August 2021).
24. Joseph L Walters / Mary Curreey, (2 February 1919), Marriage License: Book 75, page 402; Recorder of Deeds, Kansas City, Missouri.
25. Funeral Card / Memorial Book, Funeral program of Joseph L. Walters,
26. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010,” database, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : online 17 November 2015), Joseph Walters.
27. Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index,” database, Ancestry, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : online 17 November 2015), Joseph Walters, 352-10-9775, before 1951.
28. “World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” database, Ancestry (Ancestry.com : online 17 November 2015), Joseph Louise Walters, [DigitalID].
29. Joseph L. Walters Walters, Illinois, Crawford Family Papers,privately held by Marcia Philbrick, Seneca, KS 66538
30. “World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918,” database, Ancestry (Ancestry.com : viewed online September 2016), Joseph Louis Walters.
31. 1930 U.S. Census, Clay County, Missouri, population schedule, District 10, North Kansas City, Clay County, Missouri, SD 2, ED 24-10, Sheet 9B, family 291, Joseph L. Walters.
32. 1940 U.S. Census, Cook County, Illinois, Population, Ward 1, Chicago, ED SD 1, ED 103-43, AA1, 2607, Joseph Walters.
33. , Obituary Clipping, Joseph L Walters.
34. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010,” database Joseph Walters.
35. Social Security Administration, “U.S. Social Security Death Index”, database, Ancestry.com, Joseph Walters, 352-10-9775, 1951.
36. Cemetery Records of Maple Grove and Greencrest Memorial Gardens, Dodge City, Kansas (: , 1985).
37. “Card of Thanks”, Dodge City Daily Globe, (Dodge City, Kanss), 21 October 1925, page 4, col. 5, microfilm D542; Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka, KS.
38. Find a Grave, database and images, Find a Grave (www.findagrave.com : viewed online September 2017), memorial for Doral L. Walters (1925-1925), Find a Grave Memorial no. #145690372, created by Tim Tompkins, citing Maple Grove Cemetery, Dodge City, Kansas; accompanying photograph by Tim Tompkins, Doral L. Walters.
39. BillionGraves, digital images of tombstone, BillionGraves (billiongraves.com : viewed online September 2017), memorial for Doral L. Walters (1925-1925), BillionGraves created by mcphilbrick, citing Maple Grove Cemetery, Dodge City, Kansas; accompanying photograph by mcphilbrick, Doral L. Walters.