Mary (Gulli) Traffas died on Holy Saturday, April 20, 2019, in Pratt, Kansas early Saturday morning. There was a full Pink Easter Moon, a symbol of rebirth, to light her way.
She was born to Gertrude and Joseph Gulli on April 18, 1922. With her eight siblings, she grew up in Washington D.C., the political heartbeat of our country. She never lost her appetite for politics—both domestic and international. Two of her recent questions were, “So, what are the implications of the Mueller Report?” and “Just how did the fire at Notre Dame happen?” Exasperated that we could not tell her, she decided to get answers directly from her Creator.
Mary took a gamble and married Vincent Traffas on January 17, 1945 and moved to Sharon, Kansas. After 97 years, she considered herself lucky in love, cards, and casinos.
Mary is survived by her children: Elaine and her husband Jack Graham, Joan and her husband Eric Berman, Vincent Traffas and his wife Kristi, Shawn Traffas and his wife, Robin, and daughter-in-law, Marilyn Traffas (married to Brian); her twelve grandchildren and nineteen great-grandchildren (with two more on the way) and her own brother Ed Gulli of Scottsdale, Arizona.
Those who preceded Mary in death include her husband, Vincent Traffas; son, Brian Traffas, and grandchild, Jesi.
Rosary for Mary will be Thursday, April 25, 2019 at 7:00 p.m., at St. Boniface Church in Sharon, Kansas. Funeral Mass will be Friday, April 26, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. in St. Boniface Church in Sharon, Kansas. Burial will be in St. Boniface Cemetery with arrangements by Lanman Funeral Home, Inc. of Kiowa, Kansas. Viewing will be during Rosary on Thursday. www.lanmanmemorials.com Facebook: Lanman Funeral Home Inc.
Memorials may be sent to one of four of Mary’s charities: The Lord’s Diner in Wichita, Kansas; St. Boniface Catholic Church in Sharon, Kansas; Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Medicine Lodge, Kansas; or St. John Catholic Church, in Kiowa, Kansas through the funeral home.