Mary Jane Hamende

Mary Jane Hamende, 90, Altus, passed away on Thursday, August 3, 2023. Services will be at 10:00 AM on Monday, August 7, 2023, at Grace United Methodist Church, with Rev. Wendie Jencks-Wilson and Rev. Bruce Davis officiating. Burial will follow at the Altus City Cemetery, under the direction of Kincannon Funeral Home and Cremation Service.

Mary Jane Simpson was born on July 13, 1933, on a farm northwest of Altus. Her family was a pioneer family, having arrived in 1888 from Texas. Her grandparents Daniel G. and Mary Jane Simpson and their family of five children, came to homestead land, from Wayne Street to Tamarack and later bought nearby acreage for one dollar an acre. The family, of one son and four daughters, remained in this area for the rest of their lives.

Mary Jane’s father was W. T. (Todd) and mother, Frankie (Roberts) Simpson. She attended Altus schools where she was a member of the Kay Club, graduating with the Class of 1951. At the age of 7, she began piano lessons with Georgia Winton, her cousin. During Jr. High and High School she accompanied soloists and choirs. She was also a pianist for the First Presbyterian Church. Her senior year, she received the MacDowell music scholarship and also a scholarship in piano from Oklahoma City University. After receiving a Bachelor of Music Degree, she returned to Altus to teach piano lessons.

After her marriage in October, 1957, she was gone from Altus until December, 1991 - living in Abilene, Texas; Spokane, Washington; Salina, Kansas; and Biloxi, Mississippi. In Biloxi, she taught school for a few years and was a secretary at First Baptist Biloxi for 17 years and a pianist there also. Since returning to Altus, she again enjoyed teaching piano, sharing her love for music, with many students throughout the years. In 2000, she began 22 enjoyable years, as pianist at Grace United Methodist Church, until an illness in November, 2022. She enjoyed gardening, painting, bird watching, sewing, and quilting and she was an avid OKC Thunder and OU Sooner fan.

Mary Jane was preceded in death by her parents, W. T. (Todd) and Frankie (Roberts) Simpson; a brother and sister-in-law, Daniel R. and Gladys Marie Simpson; her sister, Martha Marie Bowling; and her niece, Danette Sue Romines. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca Marie and Roger Balderas; her granddaughter, Devon Marie Cheek; great-granddaughter, Breanna Lynn Marriott; great-grandsons, Daniel Gavin Cheek and Weston Ray Cheek; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and many friends.

Online tributes may be made at kincannonfuneralhome.com.