Sadie Mae Gamel Willson, 101, of Springfield, passed away March 10, 2019. The fourth child of Sadia Alice Sands Gamel and Alva Edward Gamel, Mae was born January 14, 1918 in rural Dallas County near Louisburg. When she was four, the family moved by train to Pueblo, CO. They returned to Dallas County several years later and ran the County Farm. As a young woman, Mae moved to Springfield, where she attended beauty school and began her career as a hairdresser. She met and married Paul Edward Willson on August 31, 1940, before he was sent to Europe with the Army in World War II. Their first son Michael was born while Paul was away. A favorite story was that Paul read the announcement in Stars and Stripes before Mae's letter could reach him. Mae and Paul were married 57 years until Paul's passing in 1997.

Mae was very involved in St. Paul Methodist Church, Boy Scouts, and Parkview High School, and was a proud supporter of Missouri State University events. For many years she was a basketball season ticket holder at McDonald Arena, Hammons Student Center and JQH Arena. On at least one occasion, she followed the men's basketball team to Hawaii for a tournament. Travel was certainly one of her favorite activities, as Mae and Paul traveled the United States and to France and Germany, as well as other European countries. They traveled with the Bear University Travel groups, and she continued to travel after Paul's death, including trips to California and Ireland.

She was a long-time volunteer with Crosslines, Meals on Wheels, and Cox Hospital. As long as her health allowed, she was always on the go; helping family or friends, attending community events, and keeping up with everything going on in Springfield and the surrounding area.

Family was always an important part of her life. She held countless holiday dinners at her home for her extended family, and the door was always open for anyone visiting the area. She loved to have houseguests and take them to whatever was new and interesting, from Springfield to Branson to Joplin. Although she no longer worked in a salon after her marriage, she was always ready to oblige a sister, niece, or cousin with a haircut.

She made friends easily and liked to get together for meals, movies, and sports events. Her Christmas gifts of candy, cookies, and especially peanut brittle were legendary. Her Halloween popcorn balls were popular with the neighborhood kids. Houseguests were known to fight over her sausage balls. No one ever went hungry at Mae's house.

Taking care of people was a passion. When her sister-in-law Anna and then brother-in-law Ralph were in assisted living, she made sure they had everything they needed. Her sister Wilma was in a nursing home for nine years, and Mae visited her at least once a week. She did the same for her sister Ruth in her final years, driving to Buffalo as often as she could manage it. Her favorite job, however, was helping out with her two grandsons and going to all their sporting events.

Mae was preceded in death by her husband Paul, son Michael, sisters Ruth and Wilma, and brothers Willard and Lawrence. She is survived by her son Mark (Nancy) of Kansas City, her son Doug (Nida) of Springfield, her grandsons Collin (Amanda) and Paul (Stephanie), great-grandchildren Caleb, Brynlee, Amelia, and Reese, and numerous cousins, nephews, and nieces.

Visitation will be held from 5:30 – 7:00 PM on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 AM on Thursday, March 14, also at the Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Hazelwood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Crosslines or Meals on Wheels.