Mary Ann (Fletcher) Gregg was born March 8, 1933, in Hamburg, Iowa, to Ray C. and Geneva Fletcher. She spent her life in Hamburg and always talked of lifelong experiences and friends who resided there.
Mary Ann graduated from Hamburg High School in 1950 and went on to receive a teaching degree from Peru State College in 1955. Peru is where she met her husband, Richard E. (Dick) Gregg. They were married June 13, 1953. Together, they had four children: Patrick, Michael, Julie, and Richard.
Mary Ann’s love for teaching started in Farragut, Iowa, where she accepted her first teaching position. She later moved to Hamburg schools, where she taught for 37 years until retirement in 1995. Mary Ann’s passion was to teach. Her love for her school, classroom, and students was one of complete devotion. She often shared that she spent her favorite years teaching language arts at Hamburg Middle School. When she was not in the classroom, she supported her students and school at Wildcat sporting events and extra-curricular activities. Her favorite was wrestling.
Upon retirement, Mary Ann’s devotion to the schools and students did not end. She went on to serve on the Hamburg School Board. She continued to worship students long after her retirement and their graduation. She cherished when those she taught wrote or visited her after their graduation from Hamburg High School. She loved hearing the stories of their accomplishments and reading their letters that all were addressed to Mrs. Gregg.
When she was not teaching, Mary Ann and Dick loved to travel and fish. They spent many summers on Pelican Lake in Orr, Minnesota. It was a tradition that started with her parents and one that now even her great grandchildren enjoy. Mary Ann could not swim and was afraid of the water, but when the boat left the dock, Mary Ann had a seat in it. Two of her favorite adventures included fishing in Alaska and Canada.
In her free time, Mary Ann loved to crochet, read, and bake. If you found her home, her hands held crochet hooks, a book, or oven mitts. Her colleagues and family recall fondly the Christmas cookies and candies she made each year; her favorite was bourbon balls, and her back office was filled with popcorn balls and fudge.
Mary Ann Gregg passed on February 2, 2022, in West Plains, Missouri. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her sister Betty, one grandchild, one great grandchild, and numerous brothers- and sisters-in-law.
She is survived by her children: Pat and Theresa Gregg of West Plains, Missouri, Mike Gregg of Hamburg, Iowa, Julie and Kent (Gregg) Buchholz of Plattsmouth, Nebraska, and Richard Gregg and Cindy Gammel of Hamburg, Iowa. She is also survived by 9 grandchildren, 17 great grandchildren, and one brother-in-law, Jim Gregg, and his wife, Suzan, of Ft. Collins, Colorado.
A Funeral Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, February 12, 2022 at the United Methodist Church in Hamburg, IA. Burial will follow at the Hamburg Cemetery.
The family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday (2/11) at the Rash-Gude Funeral Home in Hamburg.
Memorials may be directed to “Mrs. Gregg’s Reading Corner” and will be established with Marnie Simons Elementary School in Hamburg.
Remembrances may be shared at www.gudefuneralhomes.com. Rash-Gude Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
