Mary Kier

Mary V. (Bingham) Kier, 90, fulfilled a life well-lived March 12 in Columbus after a short illness. Mary was born to Wilma (Vance) and Carlton E. Bingham in Canton, Ohio, on Oct. 11, 1929. She was a 1947 graduate of Canton Lincoln High School and earned a bachelor’s in music education from The Ohio State University. She taught instrumental music in the Newark (Ohio) City Schools and vocal music in the Cornell, Elizabeth-Forward, Shaler and North Hills school districts in western Pennsylvania. On Flag Day of 1952 she married W. Ralph Kier, a fellow alumnus of the Lincoln High School band, with whom she shared nearly 40 years until his passing in 1991. As Ralph pursued his calling as a Presbyterian pastor, they made numerous friends while serving churches in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. Mary later spent 15 years as a volunteer for the Voice Corps Reading Service, where she was a familiar voice reading news, sports, puzzles and comics to visually impaired listeners throughout central Ohio. She was an active member of the Embroiderers Guild of America, with the walls of her home brightened by many of her hand-stitched creations. Her sewing skills always kept her family dressed in the latest fashions. And the many sweaters, afghans, hats and shawls that she knitted, often in intricate patterns, warmed their hearts as well as their bodies. She was a member of Overbrook Presbyterian Church in Columbus, where she served as a Stephen Minister and an elder, played trumpet in the fun band, was a regular ringer in the bell choir and an alto in the chancel choir. Mary is survived by her brother, Harold (Donna Lamb) Bingham of Westerville; son Dwight (Mary Ellen Schiltz) Kier of North Canton; daughter Diane Kier of Hilliard; grandson Christopher (Christine Beaty) Kier of Medford, Mass., several nieces and nephews; and sister-in-law Betty (Cook) Kier of Ada. Friends may call 4-7 p.m. Monday March 16, 2020 at the Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home, 515 High St., Worthington, Ohio. A graveside service will be 11 a.m. Tuesday March 17 at North Lawn Cemetery in Canton, Ohio. A memorial service will be held at a later date at Overbrook Presbyterian Church with Rev. William Gause officiating. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Overbrook Presbyterian Church or Voice Corps Reading Service.

Mary Kier

October 11, 1929 - March 12, 2020