Mary Lou Dershem

May 17, 1928 - September 13, 2019

Mary Lou (Shull) Dershem passed from this life on Friday, September 13, 2019 in Florence, South Carolina where she was living with her daughter Melodye (Dershem) Lawhon. She was born on May 17, 1928 in Dewey, Oklahoma to Rosa (Weber) Shull and Mike Lester Shull. She started her education at Wayside School which was located near their farm and graduated from Dewey High School. She married Ralph Dershem on August 23, 1947 and they enjoyed 67 years together until Ralph passed on March 28, 2015. As the wife of a Baptist minister they served at New Harmony Baptist Church in rural Bartlesville, Ramona First Baptist, Southeast Baptist Church in Muskogee, Virginia Avenue Baptist Church in Bartlesville, Northeast Baptist Church in Ponca City and then began Rose Hill Community Church in rural Dewey after they retired. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Beatrice Freeland, her brother Lester Shull, and her husband, and is survived by her children, Linda Dershem of Daytona Beach Shores, Florida, Mike Dershem and his wife Marcia of Bartlesville, Jack Dershem and his wife Renee of Ponca City, Melodye Lawhon and her husband Steve of Florence, South Carolina and Jeremy Dershem and his wife Kathleen of McKinney, Texas, 12 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Mission Dignity which provides retirement stipends for retired ministerial staff who did not have retirement incomes; care of Highland Park Baptist Church, 300 SE Washington Blvd., Bartlesville, Ok 74006 or a favorite charity of your choice in her memory. No formal services Are planned. Arrangements are under the direction of Carter Davis and the Davis Family Funeral Home – Dewey Chapel. Online condolences and remembrances may be shared at www.DavisFamilyFuneralHome.com.