Mary Elizabeth Post

On September 13, 2026, we lost our North Star.

Mary Elizabeth Post was born in Waco, Texas, on February 15, 1936, to Marjorie and Edward Post.

Her early years were spent on VA forts across the US with brother Bill and grandmother Winifred, trying to keep up with parents who had a passion for exploration and a wanderlust that followed her throughout her lifetime. After moving to the VA fort in Sheridan, Wyoming, in her junior year, she played piano for the Methodist church, was in Eastern Stars, went to Girls’ State, and spent her summers working at Eaton’s Ranch. She went on to the University of Colorado-Boulder in 1954 before marrying her high school friend and sweetheart, Everett McGlothlin, in 1958. That is when her own adventures began.

Leaving their home in Southern California, Mary and Ev relocated halfway around the world—three little girls in tow—where she began her career in elementary education. Mary was a lifelong learner who rode camels in the Punjabi desert, crossed the Khyber Pass, and counted birds and elephants in the Okavango Delta; dug fossils with Richard Leakey in East Africa; climbed Mount Kenya and Machu Picchu; explored the temples of Angkor Wat; and was passionate about the multitudes of museums and historical sites tucked in every corner of the world. She brought that endless curiosity to every aspect of our lives. She was a pianist, a painter, an animal lover, and a gardener. She studied Swahili and the Bible, Buddhism, tai chi, and yoga. She brought her quiet strength and resiliency to everything and everyone’s life that she touched. Her legacy lies in the warmth and support that she unconditionally had for her students, her family, and all she met. It is impossible to imagine a world without her steady grace and quietly sly humor or silliness. She was eternally youthful and wise. There is a sign above the door that says, ‘Home is where your story begins,’ and she was the heart and soul of our story.

Mary never failed to walk us out to our cars, no matter how short the visit, and would stand and wave until we turned the corner. It is our turn to wave her goodbye and know that she will be waiting for us down the road. She has taken her place with those she loved who preceded her on the journey home: grandmother Winifred Brown, brother William Post, niece Denise Post, father Edward Post, stepfather Ora Helms, and mother Marjorie Criswell Post.

She leaves behind her husband of 68 years, Everett E. McGlothlin; three daughters, Molly McGlothlin, Rebecca Oden, and Kathryn Spahn and her husband Martin; six grandchildren, Megan, Casey, Elena, Nathan, Gabriel, and Hana; and four great-grandchildren, Olivia, Lillian, Jake, and Calea; as well as her nephew David Post and her trusty companion, Buddy.

Mary was our North Star, and she will be fiercely missed.

Online condolences may be written at https://www.kanefuneral.com/. Champion Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with local arrangements.