Mary Alice Chesnut

Mary Alice Sartain Chesnut died Saturday, November 15, 2025; Her children, Diane and Steve, were at her side as she went to Jesus. Mary was approaching her 95th birthday.

It seems so arbitrary to measure the life of a child of God by the number of times they ride this rock around the sun. This is, in no way, a reasonable way to measure Mary’s impact on those around her and on the world. A much better way is to know her work on her faith and in her community.

Mary was given life in Jefferson City, Missouri, where she grew un in the Christian Church. Upon moving to Wichita in the early 1950s she joined First Presbyterian Church. After marrying William “Bill” Chesnut they settled in northeast Wichita, and both became members of Eastminster Presbyterian Church. Mary was a member of Eastminster for over 65 years. For many years she participated in Women’s Circle and many other Sunday School and Bible Study groups. She and Bill extended their Christ-centered reach to other parts of the world, as well, through mission trips in eastern Europe and central America. In addition, she and Bill spent many weeks working at an at-risk youth camp in southern Colorado. This was a labor of Love for Mary, and a reflection of her love of Jesus. She treasured her relationship with Jesus and with her church.

Mary was a tremendous influence on so many girls and young women through her work in Girl Scouting. Mary was a member of the Girl Scouts for over 70 years! She joined Girl Scouts at a young age. She was a camp counsellor at a GS camp in central Missouri. That foundation in Scouting grew into a career in Scouting; Mary was a Council Executive for the Wichita Area Girl Scout Council for many years, where she acted as Camp Director, and supported many Girl Scout troops in the Wichita area. Later in life she was integral in the development and management of a college scholarship program for young women in Scouting.

Mary, and Bill, had a dream to live outside the hustle and bustle of the city, a dream fulfilled in the early 1970s when they moved to “the farm”. For her, it was less a farm and more a playground. She spent hours sitting on the porch listening to songbirds, watching the wildlife carry on their lives not at all bothered by her gaze. And she went through “phases”… there was the “catching snapping turtles with jumper cables” phase, and her “fishing in the front lake” phase, though she did not at all ascribe to the adage “you catch it, you clean it!”

Mary loved to ride motorcycles with Bill, traveling through nearly every state in the US. Her grandsons Nate and Luke thought it pretty cool that their Grandma was in a Motorcycle Gang! And secretly… she did too!

Mary’s life on this rock was long and fruitful, and a beautiful preparation for an eternity praising God. Live in peace Mom, and rest in the arms of Jesus.

A memorial has been established with Eastminster Presbyterian Church Youth Ministries, 1958 N. Webb Rd, Wichita, KS 67206.

A private family service has been held.