Mary Zahirniak

Mary K. (Plummer) Mosier Zahirniak, age 76, of West, passed on to her eternal reward early Saturday evening, January 1, 2011 at Providence Hospital in Waco. A rosary will be recited 7:00 p.m. Tuesday at Aderhold Funeral Home by Janice Kaluza. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 10:00 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption, with Rev. Anthony Odiong and Msgr. Isidore Rozycki as celebrants. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery. Mary was born February 4, 1934 in Dublin, Ohio, the second child of ten to Samuel R. and Ida (Blanton) Plummer. She attended schools in Dublin and graduated from Dublin High School in 1951. In June of 1952 Mary was introduced to two men, John Mosier and Robert Zahirniak by her cousin Fred Sparks, where they were stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base. In April of 1953, Robert was transferred to Korea, and Mary married John. From this union three children were born, Mike, Deborah M. and Rusty K. In July of 1956, John was killed in an automobile accident. Robert, who maintained contact with the Plummer family, was notified of the accident. In December of 1956, a short weekend trip to Ohio rekindled a friendship that blossomed into a romance by mail. In May of 1957, Robert was passing through Ohio on his way back to Texas from Akron, Ohio and decided to stop at the Plummers for coffee. The coffee stop lasted for two weekends and on June 3, 1957 they were united in marriage in Richmond, Indiana. From this union four more children were added to the nest, Samuel W., Daniel R., Trish A. and Patrick J. The family was assigned to Kindley AFB in Bermuda, Bunker Hill AFB in Indiana, and then back to Texas while Robert served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. After an assignment to Carswell AFB in Ft. Worth, the family moved to Plattsburg AFB in New York. Retirement followed in 1975 when the family returned to West and a new life. Mary was a housewife and homemaker and taught ceramic classes for 17 years where she made many beautiful things. She also helped Robert to build the Veterans Wall of Honor in the Katy Depot. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption. Mary was also a member of the Catholic Daughters of America Court No. 829, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 4819 Ladies Auxiliary and volunteered for the Meals on Wheels Program. Mary enjoyed traveling and visiting all the National Parks in the United States. She especially loved spending time with her family. She is preceded in death by her parents; two brothers; and a sister. Survivors include her beloved husband of 53 years, Robert W. Zahirniak of West; four sons, Clarence Mosier and wife Wendy of Hendersonville, North Carolina, Samuel Zahirniak and wife Nell of La Marque, Daniel R. Zahirniak and wife Annette of San Antonio, and Patrick Joe Zahirniak and wife Julie of Waco; three daughters, Deborah M. Timmons and husband Greg of Peru, New York, Rusty K. Dragoon and husband William of Columbia, South Carolina, and Patricia Scheler and husband Eddie of Decatur, Alabama; two brothers, Eddie Plummer of Deland, Florida and Bill Plummer of Columbus, Ohio; four sisters, Carolyn Buettner of Ostrander, Ohio, Sharon Wilson of Kendall, Florida, Connie Raub of London, Ohio, and Joy Haynie of Tennessee; 17 grandchildren, 9 great grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Active pallbearers are Jason Dragoon, Michael Dragoon, Eddie Scheler, Robert S. Zahirniak, Mitch Allen and David Zahirniak. Honorary pallbearers are members of West V.F.W. Post No. 4819 Ladies Auxiliary. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1893, Memphis, Tennessee 38101-9950, or the Alzheimer's Disease Research Foundation, 1236 Ginger Crescent, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23453.