Mary Clair Wenger, age 92, passed away peacefully with her children by her side on April 30, 2026, in St. Louis.
Born on June 9, 1933, in St. Louis, Missouri, Mary Clair Wenger (née Stoessel) devoted her life to her family, faith, community and her lifelong love of gardening and herbs.
In 1956, she married the love of her life, Jacob Wenger, and together they built a strong and loving family. Mary Clair was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who found great joy in supporting her family. While raising her children and caring for her home, she also played an important role in helping keep the family pharmacy running for many years.
Mary Clair’s greatest passion was gardening, especially growing herbs and sharing what she cultivated with others whenever she could. She was a longtime member and former president of both the St. Louis Herb Society and the Boxwood Society. Her dedication to gardening and education also led her to volunteer at the St. Louis Botanical Garden for over 75 years, where she shared her knowledge and enthusiasm with countless fellow gardeners.
A woman of deep faith, Mary Clair was a founding member of Queen of All Saints Parish and remained devoted to her church community throughout her life.
She is survived by her children, Jacob Wenger (Linda), Christine Wenger, Michael Wenger (Shelia) and Andrew Wenger (Leah); her grandchildren, Allison Donahay (Joe), Luke Wenger, Anna Wenger, Heather Trokey, Angel Trokey (Michael), Sarah Marshall (Terry) and Hallie Volz (Matt); and her great-grandchildren, Jack, Matt, Gus, Nora, Gabriel, Kaylea, Jaxon, Mackenzie and Hudson; her sister-in-law Nancy Stoessel; her nephews, Bart Stoessel (Shannon) and David Hardesty (Lisa); her niece, Jeanne Hardesty; as well as great-nieces and nephews, Danny, Mary, Kayden, Joe and Kaitlin.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Jacob Wenger; her son and daughter-in-law, Peter and Sandy Wenger; her brother, Leo Stoessel and her sister and brother-in-law, Lois and Gary Hardesty.
Mary Clair will be remembered for her generosity, warmth, devotion to family and extraordinary passion for gardening and community service. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched through her kindness, faith and dedication.
Services: Visitation at Kutis South County Chapel, 5255 Lemay Ferry Road, on Wednesday, May 6, from 4:00 to 7:00pm. Funeral from Kutis South County Chapel on Thursday, May 7, 8:45am to Queen of All Saints Catholic Church for 9:30am mass. Interment Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society or the St. Louis Herb Society.
So sorry for the loss of your mother. My heart breaks for you.
Prayers, hugs and love for all of your family
Mary Clair was a beautiful blessing to us all. Her kindness, gentleness, and generosity shone forth as beacons of inspiration. We knew each other through our membership as Associates of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary Clair’s love for God and others was always evident in her words and deeds. I will miss her loving, thoughtful, and peaceful presence. My life has been immeasurably blessed by her friendship.
My love and admiration for Mary Clair is summed up in a poem I wrote. My poem reflects my long friendship with Mary Clair (nearly 80 years) and her dedication as an Associate member of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary since September 23, 2002.
SIRACH 6:14-17
Sturdy shelters
are our faithful friends
in storms
fatigue and mindless trends.
No moods nor fears
do they despair
as they circle round us
with loving care.
Beyond price is
their encouraging nod
a friend to friend
is kin with God.
Be happy with all the time you had with her. That’s amazing
She was the best!
She was wonderful to be with, had a fun sense of humour, and loved teaching whether it was herb classes or CCD.
Mary Clair was a woman of faith, hope and love. She inspired us all to be our best selves!
We will miss her gentle presence
but keep her vision of self-giving alive. “Love doesn’t make the pain
disappear; it simply holds us steady in the middle of it.”
Just loved Mary Claire ❤️ so sweet, unpretentious, knowledgeable, and beautiful inside and out. I knew her as our brilliant herb expert. She will be so missed but I’m blessed to have known her. 😍❤️
Mary Claire was the best. We taught PSR together. What a holy, fun teacher she was! I also remember going to her house as a child with my mom and getting plants! I’m still in awe as to how she had all those beds and knew how to grow them with greenhouses. Mostly I just loved teaching with her when I became an adult.!!