Mary Ann (Kohman) Bergen, 86, of Springfield, Missouri passed away Monday morning, March 23, 2015. Mary Ann was born in Dickinson County, Kansas near the town of Hope on February 23, 1929. Growing up a Kansas farm girl on the open prairies of central Kansas, she attended a one-room schoolhouse (Prairie Union) for her elementary education that was located directly across the road from the family farm. Being the only daughter along with three brothers, she helped her mother and her Aunt Eva with baking, cooking and preparing meals for family, friends and the threshing crews that would regularly help on the farm. It was during this period that she began developing a lifelong love for food, cooking and hospitality. After graduating from Hope High School, she attended Wheaton College in Illinois for her freshman year but then returned to Kansas, where she taught elementary school and pursued a degree in home economics from Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. It was while attending Kansas State University that she met her future husband Harold "Hal" R. Bergen, Jr.- the love of her life. Mary Ann and Hal were married on August 6, 1954. Mary Ann lived in Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas, finally settling in the Springfield area with her family. She taught home economics before briefly returning to Kansas State University where she earned her master's degree in food and nutrition and became a registered dietician. After receiving her master's degree, she was hired by Southwest Baptist University (SBU) in Bolivar, Missouri to build and direct its food and nutrition and hotel and restaurant management curriculums and departments. After her tenure at SBU, she was an instructor at Missouri State University teaching food and nutrition. Mary Ann then practiced as a dietician and food service administrator at Mercy and Cox Hospitals before retiring. Mary Ann accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior very early in life and had a strong passion for Christian outreach and missions from a young age. She was an accomplished musician, playing the piano for church and special events, and had a love of classical music. She was kind and compassionate with a beautiful smile and bright twinkling blue eyes that expressed the warmth and love in her heart. As the wife of a Baptist minister, she enjoyed opening her home and showing Christian hospitality and love toward others. It was not uncommon for her to entertain guests in her home several times a week, always with delicious home cooked meals. She had a special place in her heart for international students and hosted them in her home frequently. She taught Sunday school throughout her life and was a fervent prayer warrior, lifting up the needs of others. Mary loved preparing all types of foods and testing new recipes, but her favorite activity was baking bread, which she often gave away to neighbors and friends. She was an excellent speller (she attributed this to her one-room schoolhouse education) and loved to work crossword puzzles and play games, particularly Scrabble and the card game Rook. She loved rodeos, especially bull riding. Mary Ann had a strong interest in politics, beginning with her participation as a volunteer in Dwight D. Eisenhower's presidential campaign. After retiring, she served for years as an election judge at the polls with her husband. She was an early watcher and ardent fan of the Fox News Channel. Preceding Mary Ann in death were her husband of 58 years Harold R. Bergen, Jr., parents Albert Otto. and Emma Kohman and two brothers Gordon and Don Kohman. She is survived by her loving family: 2 sons: Dr. H. Robert (Bob), III and wife Shelley Bergen of Spring Valley, Minn., Grady Bergen of Dallas, Texas; 2 daughters: Dr. Suzanne Bergen and husband Dr. Brian McCulloch of Hinsdale, Illinois and Jill Bergen of Springfield, Mo.; 11 grandchildren: Silas and wife Lydia, Jonas and wife Andrea, Emma Veraza and husband Rolando, Hannah, Abe, Eli, Amos, and Ezra Bergen, Colin, Connor, and Hudson McCulloch; 2 great grandsons: Nathaniel and Lewis; brother Paul and wife Lawana Kohman of Hope, Kansas. Services will be held on Friday, March 27, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. in University Heights Baptist Church, Springfield, Missouri with Dr. Danny Chisholm officiating. Graveside services will be held on Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 3:00 p.m. in the cemetery of the former First Baptist Church of Dickinson, County, Hope, Kansas. Visitation will be Thursday, March 26, 2015 from 6 to 8:00 p.m. in Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Memorials may be given in her memory to Gospel for Muslims or Buckner International.