Mary Martha Stevens

In loving memory of Mary Martha Stevens:

Mary Martha Stevens, age 81 passed away peacefully on September 22, 2026 with Letty Seidl at her side, after a life defined by love, strength, kindness and inspiration.

Mary Martha was born in Wichita, Kansas on March 8, 1945. Mary Martha was preceded in death by her parents Keeney and Helen Stevens. Mary Martha leaves behind her strongest support and source of affection Letty Seidl who was at her side for 43 years; her two brothers Keith (Georgia) Stevens and Clark (Darla) Stevens; and many nieces and nephews who knew her as Aunt Mimi. Aunt Mimi created many memories with them through movie nights and art projects. Mary Martha was very proud of her family, and they brought great joy to her life.

EDUCATION: / CAREER

Mary Martha attended the University of Missouri Kansas City(UMKC) Dental Hygiene school and graduated in 1967. She was President of her class.

She practiced Dental Hygiene in Raytown, Missouri 1 year and then took a position as Clinical Dental Hygiene supervisor for the University of Missouri Kansas City dental school where she worked at Children’s Mercy Hospital with dental students.

From 1970-1972 she worked for Sunnyside public schools in Tucson, Arizona where she designed and implemented the first dental health education program for 1260 (Students K-12).

She began her full-time faculty position at Wichita State University (WSU) College of Health Professions in the department of Dental Hygiene (DH) where she taught and ran a 20 dental hygiene clinic from 1972-1975. While teaching at WSU she also took classes herself at Kansas State University and completed her Master’s in Education.

She continued teaching from 1977-1982 and received tenure in 1981. From 1982-1989 she Served as chairperson and assistant professor for the Department of Dental Hygiene. While serving as chairperson she again took classes at Kansas State University and completed her PhD in 1985.

1989-1996 – Mary Martha worked for the Puritan Bennett Corporation in Kansas City as Director of Health and Wellness where she developed and administered the first comprehensive health promotion program for 2,600 employees worldwide.

She then returned to Wichita to help care for her mother. While taking care of her mother, she worked with Green Acres Health Food Stores where she served as the newsletter director for two years.

In 2001 she took a position as an Adjunct Instructor in the Academic Achievement Center at Butler Community College. There she taught a variety of courses including Career Planning, Stress Management, Writing, Vocabulary, Reading, and Medical Terminology. She was a great encourager to her students and colleagues.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

Mary Martha learned Transcendental Meditation in 1969 which she continued to practice the remainder of her life. Mary Martha was a TM Teacher from the 1972 Mallorca, Spain Course. After returning to the United States, she began teaching students Transcendental Meditation and continued teaching for the remainder of her life. She was a renowned TM teacher and loved seeing her student’s flourish. She attended many advanced TM courses as well as World Peace Assemblies in Fairfield, Iowa.

Mary Martha was an excellent teacher of many subjects to many students. Always encouraging students to do more…get more education and do their absolute best….

PERSONALITY:

Mary Martha loved life, being a teacher of Transcendental Meditation, practicing Transcendental Meditation, creating beautiful watercolor art, walking, spending time with her dear friends and good food!

Celebration of life for Mary Martha Stevens will be at a later date.

Memorial donations can be made to the Adorers of the Blood of Christ, 1165 Southwest Blvd, Wichita, KS 67213.

Now… her “paintbrush will be at rest”