Mary Dugan

Mary Ann (Wuertenberg) Dugan, 83, of Jefferson City, Mo., died Thursday, October 21, 2010. She had been a resident of Oak Tree Villa in Jefferson City since 2009. She was previously a resident of Ashland, Mo. for nine years and before that, lived in the Brookfield, Mo. area. Mrs. Dugan was born October 3, 1927, in St. Louis, Mo., the daughter of William and Helen Wuertenberg. Prior to getting married, she worked on the clerical staff at International Shoe Company in downtown St. Louis during the late 1940s and 1950s. She met her future husband, Robert S. Dugan in St. Louis and they were married on January 5, 1958. They purchased a small farm near Hawk Point, Mo. while her husband commuted to a job in St. Louis. In 1962, the Dugans purchased a farm near Brookfield in north-central Missouri where they became full-time farmers for the next 38 years and raised three children. Mrs. Dugan and her husband were members of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church and both served as township representatives on the Linn County Democratic Central Committee for several years. After their children grew up, the Dugans enjoyed several trips, including to San Diego on their 25th wedding anniversary, visits to their son when he lived in Washington, D.C., bus tours, and numerous trips with their daughters and their families, including to Yellowstone National Park. In 2000, the Dugans retired from farming and moved to Ashland where one of their daughters live. For several years, the couple could be seen on daily walks around Ashland or when the weather was cold or rainy, doing "laps" inside the Ashland Optimist Club building. They attended St. Peter's Catholic Church in Jefferson City. She is survived by her three children, Joseph (wife Jean) of Webster Groves, Mo., Roberta (husband Bruce) Heins of Marceline, Mo., and Debbie (husband Ernie) Wren of Ashland, Mo.; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She is also survived by two younger sisters, Marcella Zufall of Ballwin, Mo. and Dolores (husband Carl) Bradford of Osage Beach, Mo., and one younger brother, Joseph Wuertenberg (wife Dolores) of St. Louis. Mrs. Dugan was preceded in death by her husband, Robert. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Peter's Catholic Church (Jefferson City), the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri (Columbia), or the Mason Eye Institute (University of Missouri Health System). She was a devoted wife, a loving mother and a doting grandmother who will be greatly missed by her family. The Dugan family would also like to thank the residents and staff at Oak Tree Villa for their friendship and care-giving for Mrs. Dugan. Visitation will be Sunday, October 24, from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. at Robinson Funeral Home, 601 N. Henry, in Ashland, Mo. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Peter's Catholic Church, 216 Broadway, in Jefferson City on Monday, October 25 at 11:00 a.m. Burial will be at Missouri Veterans Cemetery, Jacksonville, Mo., where her husband, Robert is buried. Arrangements are under the direction of Robinson Funeral Home, Ashland. 573-657-1136.