Ella Mae Fairchild

Ella Mae Schmidt Fairchild, 81, Sedalia, died peacefully at her home on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 surrounded by her family. She was born July 15, 1937 on the family farm in Cedar County, Missouri; South of El Dorado Springs.  With five brothers, she was the only daughter of the late Alfred Frederick James Schmidt and Delilah Mae Cyrus Schmidt. On March 17, 1956, she married Willard [Bill] Edward Fairchild in El Dorado Springs, who passed away in 2009 after 53 years of marriage. To this union four daughters were born.

Mae graduated eighth grade from the Hazel Dell community one room school in Cedar County, Missouri in 1952.  She and her family moved to Chicago, IL and lived there for several years where she worked in a factory on the south side of the city. Two of her brothers would remain in the Chicago area.  Upon returning to Missouri, Mae met the young man that would later become her husband at the local swimming hole, known as Spooky Springs, in the Hazel Dell community. Bill spent three and a half years in the United States Navy during the Korean conflict.  During this time they would write letters and remain sweethearts.

Bill and Mae purchased the farm at Florence, MO in 1959 where they would make their home for the next 50 years.  They ran a Grade A dairy for several years and Mae worked right alongside Bill with the milking and mostly clean up.  Later they raised Charolais and Angus beef cattle until they sold the herd in 1990 to become snowbirds spending their winters in Bullhead City, AZ where they met many new friends and enjoyed their retirement together.  In 2010 Mae moved to Sedalia, MO.

Mae was a woman of many interests. She enjoyed growing and canning a large garden, photography; bird watching, maintaining many feeders; taking pictures of her flowers and her grandchildren. She taught herself to type and learning how to use a computer; she made special cards for friends and researched her family roots.  She loved to sew and made baby quilts and 4-square pot holders that she gave as gifts. Fishing was something she made time for in the summer evenings and could be seen riding her red bicycle for exercise. She could identify any tree and was practiced with a splitting maul and ax.

She was baptized on January 20, 1974 as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and remained a faithful member of the Sedalia Congregation right up to the time of her passing.

She is survived by her four daughters, Janet Roberts, Sedalia; Mary Stultz and husband Mark, Columbia; Donna Dixon and husband Charles, Clinton; Vicki Johnston and husband Steve, Norwood. Five grandchildren, Kari Roberts Mergen, Jesse Ray Roberts, Jason Wayne Stultz, Lacy Mae Head, and Logan Dee Johnston; a cousin, Clifford Hawn and wife Sharon, El Dorado Springs; two sisters in-law, Marylin Lewis, Montrose; Anna Barker, Pleasant Hill; nieces, nephews, and friends. She was preceded by her husband, parents, and five brothers, Harold Schmidt; Wilbren Schmidt; Eldon Schmidt; Howard Schmidt; and Donald Schmidt.

Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m. Saturday, May 4, 2019 at the Scrivner-Morrow Funeral Home in Stover. Officiating will be Anthony Garcia. Burial will be in the Union Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Mark Stultz, Charles Dixon, Steve Johnston, Logan Johnston, Andrew Head, and Rodney Schmidt.

The family will receive friends from 1:00 p.m. until the time of the service on Saturday at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Jehovah’s Witnesses.

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