Mary Louise Carnaghi

Mary Louise Carnaghi, age 86, a resident of Belen Meadows, Belen, New Mexico passed away peacefully on Saturday afternoon, January 21, 2017 surrounded by her family. Mary was born on September 4, 1930 in Kansas City, Missouri to Francis and Clyde Dilley. She spent her childhood in Topeka, Kansas where she graduated from Hayden High School. Mary then attended Mount Saint Scholastica College in Atchison, Kansas where she met her husband of 42 years, Raymond Carnaghi, while he was attending Saint Benedicts College also in Atchison. They were married at Holy Name Catholic Church in Topeka, Kansas on September 23, 1950. In 1954, Mary and Ray welcomed their first child, Raymond Joseph. Over the following 9 years they welcomed six more children: Paul, Thomas, Mary Susan, Mary Elizabeth, Mary Ann and Mary Catherine. Paul and Thomas, sadly, both died in infancy. Mary, Ray and their children lived in many towns in Kansas, Colorado and Oregon. In 1975, they settled in Pratt, Kansas. Mary worked for the State of Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation regional office as an Administrative Chief. She retired in 1992, in order to spend more time with her husband who was in failing health. Mary's hobbies included sewing clothes and costumes for her 4 daughters and her 2 grand-daughters, crafting of any sort, and canning the abundant produce from their large gardens. Mary's passion was her family and making things as manageable for them as possible, many times at her own expense. She was truly the embodiment of selflessness and tolerance demonstrated most notably by the constant moving from place to place-which was never at her initiation. However, through her many moves spanning nearly 50 years, she met thousands of people as she really never knew a stranger. A favorite past time of hers, especially in her later years, was "people watching". She loved to go shopping with family but was content to sit at the mall or airport or anywhere, even while a patient in the hospital, and just watch the comings and goings. Anyone who encountered her was met with an easy smile, twinkling blue eyes and her quick sense of humor. While living near Scott Air Force Base, she began purchasing candy canes and handing them out to strangers while she shopped at the Commissary, her own personal USO effort for military families possibly separated during the Holidays. Her efforts grew and eventually became her persona of "The Candy Cane Lady" as she would purchase and hand out cases of candy canes each Christmas season wherever she was living. Mary always thought of others first, and you could always count on her to bring a spark of fun to where ever she was especially "Downtown". Her empathy, kindness and loving spirit will be greatly missed. Mary was preceded in death by her mother and father, brothers Clyde and William (Bill) Dilley, sister Patricia (Pat) Bachman, husband Ray Carnaghi, children Paul and Thomas Carnaghi, grandson Raymond Eschol Register, great-grandson Jackson Frank Villella. She is survived by her sister Helen Muscorella of Jacksonville, Florida, son Joe Carnaghi of Larned, Kansas, daughter Susan and her husband Frank Beyerl of Belen, their children Nichole and her husband Domonic Villella, and their children Domonic Jr., Madison and Harison of Belen, Janelle Beyerl of Belen and Justin Beyerl of Albuquerque, daughter Beth and her husband Mauri Register of Cedar Key, Florida and his daughter Jennifer and her husband Jake Record of Hoschton, Georgia, daughter Ann and her husband Rich Pincus of Belen, daughter Kay Carnaghi and her finance Kelly Russell of Belen and several nieces and nephews across the country. Services will be held at the Immaculate Conception Church in Tome, New Mexico on January 26, 2017. There will be a public viewing at 3:30 pm, with a Rosary at 4:00 pm