Mary Powers, 2013 (Credit: Steve Puppe Photography)

It is with a heavy heart that we announce that Mary Powers passed away earlier this month, after a courageous battle with cancer.

As the third longest tenured employee of Houston’s in Kansas City to date, Mary was instrumental in the growth and development of our Kansas City operations. She started with Houston’s in December 2011, as Janitorial Support. Her willingness to go above and beyond, and her caring nature for everyone meant it wasn’t long before she was doing a little bit of everything. Brenda Hart, our former KC Warehouse Manager who hired Mary, says, “I used to call her Stretch, because it sometimes seemed like she was being pulled in every direction.”

The various roles that Mary worked and the many hats that she wore included Reception, Warehouse Operations, UPC, Inventory Control, and Returns. Robert Jones, KC Warehouse Manager, adds, “Perhaps the most significant unofficial role

Mary Powers & Robert Jones at the 2016 holiday party

that Mary enjoyed was as our ‘Culture Queen.’ She was the driving force behind all of our employee initiatives including Safety Committee, holiday parties, employee recognition programs, and month-end meetings.” Mary’s contribution throughout each department in Kansas City has been tremendous and she had an impact on not only everyone who worked here in Kansas City, but anyone who came through our doors. She will be greatly missed.

To honor her last wishes, her family will not be having a public funeral for her. Instead, she will have a small family gathering at her father’s farm, where her sons will spread her ashes. Mary’s husband, Shawn, will join us for a quiet memorial at the Kansas City warehouse at a later date.

Our thoughts continue to go out to Mary’s family, and to our Houston’s family in Kansas City.

The post Remembering Mary appeared first on Houston's Blog.