Mary Kay Poland, daughter of Orin and Shirley (Russell) Trabert was born on May 3, 1943, in Kansas City, Missouri. She passed at the age of 82 on March 9, 2026 in Venice, Florida. She was named after her two grandmothers and was the eldest of five siblings: Pat, Mike, Joanne and Tim. She was raised at Clare corner, a rural location between Olathe and Gardner, Kansas.

From an early age, Mary Kay was known for her beauty and poise. She was a candidate for Miss Emporia State Teacher’s College (now Emporia State University). Meticulous in her appearance throughout her life- jeans were never part of her wardrobe.

Mary Kay began her education in a one-room schoolhouse before transferring to a consolidated school in Gardner, Kansas. She later transferred to a Olathe High School, graduating in 1960. As a teenager, she worked at a fast food restaurant, washed car windshields at her father’s service station, and served as a lifeguard at the local pool. She loved drama and dance, taught tap dancing and entered college as a drama major. She was an active member of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and was elected president during her sophomore year in college.

At the age of twenty, Mary Kay was involved in a serious car accident that changed the course of her life. Through determination and grit, she reclaimed her independence. A private person by nature, she carried emotional and physical pain quietly.

She married Gene Poland on September 11, 1965, In Olathe, Kansas. Due to Genes’s work with IBM, they moved to several cities, and ultimately settling in Marietta, Georgia. With each move, Mary Kay quickly became involved in her community by joining Newcomer Club. She served as an officer in Tulsa and Los Altos and later as president in Marietta, where she warmly welcomed many new community members.

Mary Kay and Gene were deeply committed to community service. Mary Kay served breakfast to underprivileged elementary aged children in Olathe and devoted time to helping both children and adults learn to read. Mary Kay served as a president of the Jaycee Janes, an organization that raised money through craft sales and purchased a pontoon boat for a camp serving children with cerebral palsy. She was also the first woman invited to join the Olathe Noon Optimist Club. Later, Mary Kay formed the ‘Dixie Damsels’ Red Hat Society in Marietta. The primary purpose of the society was social interaction and bonding among women over the ager of 50, with members enjoying visits to museums, gardens and restaurants together. She served as president of the Marietta’s Women’s Club for several years with the mission of enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.

Mary Kay became a certified water aerobics instructor in Marietta and taught classes for fifteen years. She also sold Mary Kay cosmetics, taking pride in her work and its success, especially when she was spinning around town in a pink sedan.

Mary Kay and Gene raised two children: Sean Michael Poland (Britt) and Niki Lynn Stolarczyk (Steve). She was a devoted grandmother to Emily Nicole Stolarczyk, Ryan Douglas Stolarczyk and Gillian Raine Poland.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Gene; her brothers Michael Lee Trabert and James Patrick Trabert; her parents, Orin and Shirley Trabert. She will be remembered for her resilience, her quiet strength and her wry sense of humor.