Marianne May (nee Kaestner), died surrounded by family on Feb. 3, 2026. She was 81.

Marianne was born May 25, 1944, in Red Bud, to Arthur and Mabel (nee Hoffman) Kaestner. She married Dennis May on Feb. 16, 1963 in Renault.

Dennis and Marianne welcomed a son, Allen (Sharon) May, and a daughter, Laura (Charles) Ford. 

After raising her family near Harrisonville, Marianne moved to Columbia after the Flood of ‘93. 

Over the next 30 years, her backyard shrunk as her garden continued to expand. After retiring from her nursing career, she started growing vegetables in her neighbors’ gardens as well.

Marianne loved to share her homegrown produce with everyone — except birds, rabbits and squirrels. She maintained her large garden into her 80s, spending countless hours barefoot in the dirt.

Marianne was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, always willing to help fold bulletins, pull weeds or do whatever else needed to be done. When the weather kept her inside, she stayed busy quilting, cooking and canning her harvest for later. Her work ethic was unmatched. 

She is also survived by her grandchildren Ethan (Emily) May, Allison Ford and Andrew Ford and nieces and nephews Angie (Rob) Henshaw, Jeff (Jen) Carroll and Dwain (Cathy) May Jr.

Her parents, husband and sister, Janet (Joe) Carroll, preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her parents-in-law Audrey and Bernard “Jim” Fidler and brother-in-law Dwain May.

Family and friends are invited to a memorial service at 10 a.m. Feb. 21 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Columbia. 

She chose to donate her body to science.

In lieu of flowers or memorials, Marianne requested donations to the food pantry at St. Paul’s or any other food pantry.