Aurelia Mary Mahn Collins, 93 died November 22, 2025 in St. Louis, MO. Mary was born October 14, 1932 at 6:15 am at the Mahn Family Home, 116 S. 4th St., DeSoto, MO. She was the 7th of 11 children born to Aurelia Catherine (Prendergast) and Daniel John Mahn I. She was the granddaughter of Ella (Ball) and William Prendergast and Elizabeth (Schneider) and Philip William Mahn I. She was a 1946 Graduate of St. Rose of Lima School DeSoto and a 1950 Graduate of DeSoto High School.
Mary was united in marriage on September 22, 1959 to William A. Collins, Bill preceded her in death on April 7, 1979. She started working as a young teen before and after school for the family businesses Mahn Hardware & Undertaking at 306 S. Main St. and Mahn Funeral Home run out of the family home at 116 S. 4th DeSoto at the time, after her father’s untimely death at age 58. She gave up a scholarship to study at Arcadia Academy to stay and help her Mother Aurelia not only manage two businesses after Daniel’s death but also to help with a very large household of family members.
She and her husband Bill owned DeSoto and Collins Theatres and Sky-Vue Drive In until it’s sale to the Wehrenberg Family in the mid 1960’s Mary worked at various other jobs throughout her life always in accounting, it was her main hobby. She started her own Accounting business in 1983 Collins Accounting and Tax Service that she ran out of her homes in south St. Louis, she continued working until her 90th year and enjoyed visiting with her clients, they became like family to her over the years. She recently was a resident of Nazareth Assisted Living where she became very attached to some very special staff. There are Angels on Earth, and they work at St. Joe Manor.
Mary is survived by the last remaining sibling Patricia J. (Mahn) Noack and brother-in-law Ralph Noack. She is preceded in death by her Parent’s, her husband and her siblings and their spouses: Brother’s: Daniel J. “DJ”, William J. “Bill” (Irmalee), Edward (Doris), Robert J., Gerald J. “Jerry” and Vincent J. Mahn. Sisters: Marcia M., Ellen E. Mahn and Margaret A. Mahn Parmeley. She is also Survived by sisters-in-law Doris “Bobby (Hopson) Mahn and Shirley (Pierce) Mahn. Mary was the proud Aunt of 24 nieces and nephews and many, many great and great-great nieces and nephews.
She loved the horse races and went often in her younger years; she especially loved taking care of Everything and Everybody! Her brain was lovingly referred to as the “Steel Trap” by her family because she never forgot anything or anybody! Mary was a member of St. Mark’s Catholic Church in Affton, MO where she and her sister Ellen were faithful attendees.
Visitation for Mary is on Friday, November 28, 9:00 a.m. until time of Mass at 10:00 a.m. at St. Mark’s Catholic Church at 4220 Ripa Ave. (St. Louis). Mary will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in her hometown of DeSoto, Missouri.