Mary Victoria (Cummings) Samz

Mary Victoria "Cummings" Samz, known to all as Mary, has left the building! Born on February 24, 1947, in Topeka, KS, she decided to check out on September 17, 2023, in the same city, citing "natural causes" as her reason. She leaves behind a legacy of laughter and joy that will continue to echo through our hearts.

Mary's life was a comedy show, and we were all her captive audience. Her parents, Zora Alydth and Martin Joseph Cummings Sr., and her sister, Judyth Marlene Cummings Smith, had the privilege of being her first audience members, but they have since taken their final bows. Mary is now reunited with them, probably cracking jokes and narrating hilarious anecdotes.

Mary graduated from Topeka High School in 1965, and it's rumored that she was voted "Most Likely to Make You Laugh Until You Cry." She spent her days spreading laughter and joy, and her nights planning the next day's punchlines. Her wit was as sharp as a well-honed knife, and her humor as infectious as a viral cat video.

Surviving Mary are her son, Thomas Martin Cook, who inherited her sense of humor and her love for practical jokes, her daughter, Misty Shumate (Terry). Her brother, Martin Joseph Cummings Jr., who was often the unwilling recipient of her brilliant pranks, also survives her. Her grandchildren, Keifer Cook (Jeannie), Elizabeth Kirby, and Stephen McMillan were the apples of her eye and her favorite jesters-in-training.

Mary was also blessed with two great-grandchildren, Parker Burnett and Ella Cramer. Although they're too young to appreciate her jokes fully, they will grow up hearing tales of their great-grandmother's wit and humor. We have no doubt that they will carry on her legacy of laughter.

Mary's life was filled with laughter, love, and an endless stream of jokes. She found humor in everything and taught us all to do the same. She believed that laughter was the best medicine and prescribed it generously to all she met. As we remember Mary, let's not forget her mantra: "Don't take life too seriously. No one gets out alive anyway."

Mary, thank you for the laughter, the love, and the lessons. We'll miss your punchlines, your practical jokes, and your infectious laughter. The world is a little less humorous without you, but heaven just got a whole lot more fun.