Mary Francis Fencl passed away peacefully, steadfast in her faith, surrounded by her family on December 1, 2022, at Menorah Medical Center. She was born in Summit, New Jersey on March 23, 1948, the daughter of David and Elizabeth Secunda. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Douglas Fencl, her sons Matthew and Christopher Fencl, her brothers James Secunda and his wife Deborah, and John Secunda and his wife Patty, her sister, Leanne Peters and Leanne’s five children - Gunnar, David, Christina, Alexandra, and Veronica.
Mary was raised in Summit, New Jersey, and as a child, lived four years in Mumbai, India with her family. She is a graduate of Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California, and received an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Phoenix, Arizona. She served as a Special Agent in the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1976 to 1983, working in the field of Foreign Counter-Intelligence in New York City. She retired from the FBI in 1983 to focus on motherhood after the birth of her sons, Matthew and Christopher.
Her Christian faith was the bedrock of her life, with years of devoted study in various Bible classes, including CBS - Community Bible Study. She also was active both as a Stephen’s minister and as a hospice volunteer. She received her certification as a Yoga instructor, opening a studio in her home, modifying her instruction to be a Christ-centered practice. In 2008, Mary converted to Catholicism, after reading the autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, the founder of numerous Carmelite convents in Spain in the 1500s. She was confirmed by Msgr. Tom Tank at Church of the Ascension, and received her first communion on Easter Vigil at the University of Notre Dame, where her son Christopher was an undergraduate.
Mary shined the light of Christ to all those who knew her. Her life was an example of authentically living the virtues of faith, hope, and charity - she will be sorely missed. She left those she loved with the final gift of her last smiling words, “All will be well.”
Visitation will be 9:00 AM, Funeral Mass at 10:00 AM followed by a reception at the Church of the Ascension on Monday, December 12, 2022 at 9510 West 127th, Overland Park, Kansas. In lieu of flowers the family suggests memorial contributions to Church of the Ascension or Catholic Charities of NE Kansas.