Mary Ann Klatt
is honored with a Brick from Nancy Vaughn
One day in March of 1917, in St. Lois, Missouri, a baby was found on a church doorstop. A baby girl, 3 pounds, was left in a basket asking the priests to find her a good home. Father Johnnie Butler immediately thought of a childless woman, Catherine (Kitty) O’Shea Monti, who was a tailor, active in the church. The baby was adopted by Kit and Ed Monti, and named Mary Ann after her new maternal grandmother. She grew up in St. Louis and summered in Lincoln, Nebraska with her aunt and uncle-Miltie and Unks Miltonberger. She attended boarding school and graduated from high school at 16. During her first year in college, she met and married James B. Ortlund of Evanston, Illinois. Their daughter, Eileen, was born June 30, 1935. Nancy followed April 8, 1938, and their third daughter, Judith Ann was born on October 27, 1944. Mary Ann was a stay at home mom, loved taking us to Oak Street Beach every day, enjoyed reading, and was always an ever-present influence. She was quiet and wise and ever polite, but she had very high standards and it was expected that we would as well. Our parents divorced in 1950 – not at all a common thing in that day. Nearly three years later, she met and married Bill Davidson, and we moved to Long Island, New York and life changed radically for us all. She met friends, swam daily at her club, became active in may volunteer activites, and on September 20, 1956, gave birth to her son, Bruce. For the next 20 years, she stayed busy parenting and grandparenting. Her grace and bravery never shone brighter than after the death of Bill in 1978. Several years later, Eileen arranged for our mom to write and then later meet Ed Klatt, the father of her dear friend. They courted over many months and then married. At our mother’s 80th birthday, we all began to see signs of some difficulty remembering names. In the years to follow, her mind was taken over by Alzheimer’s Disease. Surprisingly, Ed suddenly had a stroke and died in August, 2003. My mother came to Kansas and her last days were at Catholic Care Memory Center and Comfort Care Homes. But I do not choose to remember those last days. Instead I want to remember all the wonderful days of joy and happiness she brought to us. Her kind and gentle spirit will remain forever, and she has left a legacy to all who knew her. She will not be forgotten … she is a hero.
