Long-time Councilwoman Mary Jean Creager dies
Mary Jean Creager was working on her 5th term as a City Councilwoman. “I feel like I’ve always been involved because I wanted to know what was going on,” she said. She made it a habit to attend city council and quorum court meetings so she would be informed.
Mayor Jerry Jackson said, “When I first became Mayor, I was very impressed with how much research Mary Jean put into every issue facing the City Council. She loved helping the city and doing all she could to make this the best community.”
Fire Chief Marc Lowery and Police Chief Chris Graddy honored her at the August 2024 City Council meeting, presenting her with a plaque and flowers for her ten years of service and her role as Public Safety Committee Chairman.
Fire Chief Marc Lowery said, “She was passionate and very supportive of "her" fire and police departments. She was unwavering in her dedication to making our two departments the best they could be, always taking any topic either Chief brought to her fullest attention, and would put either of us in our place when she disagreed with us!”
Lowery added, “When buying a rescue boat for swift water came up, she understood completely the value of having a rescue boat and pushed that administration to get it accomplished immediately.”
At the time of that presentation, she said, “Well, I’m not dead yet," laughed Creager as she was presented with the plaque. "Thank you so much," she continued. “You don’t know what an honor it is to be able to serve. We’ve had a wonderful commitment from the voters, which helped the fire department get new equipment. At one point, the newest vehicle was 17 years old; the police have expanded, and it’s all thanks to the citizens of Harrison that it has been my honor to serve.”
Police Chief Chris Graddy said, “I’ve known Mary Jean for more than 25 years because she started working as a poll worker for elections. People were just drawn to her personality. We became close friends through different community events. As my role as Chief of Police for six years, it’s been great serving with her as the Public Safety Committee Chairman. She will be missed.
Her first involvement began with the Eagle Heights neighborhood during an Urban Renewal phase. “There were houses in that area that weren’t connected to city sewer lines at that time, and I was interested in helping.”
The first time she ran for city council, someone showed up at her house with a petition with two names already on the list, encouraging her to run for office.
Mary Jean’s family owned a “fillin’ station” and lived above the business. The late-night truck drivers hauling turkeys from Thayer, Missouri, would pull in, and the bell would ring in her room. She was in the habit of running downstairs, turning on the pumps and coffee pot for the drivers. She was well-trained as a waitress, cook, and dishwasher. Gasoline customers would pull up and ask if she cleaned windshields. Her reply was, “This is a fillin’ station. Not a service station.”
Education was very important to her family. She began at Bergman Schools and went through part of the ninth grade. But by then, the family had moved to Bear Creek, and she was commuting more than 100 miles a day to get to school – with a friend who taught at Hopewell, where she caught a Bergman bus. When Hopewell consolidated with Harrison, she transferred. The Algebra book she had been using was missing the first 11 pages, so she was immediately behind when she transferred. “That did make it hard. I was Valedictorian of the 8th grade at Bergman, but it didn’t carry over to Harrison,” she laughed.
Mary Jean married Ernest “Ernie” Creager in 1954. “I feel like I’ve been married all my life.” As a mom, she stayed busy with seven years between their three sons. She currently has eight grandchildren and 12 great-grands. She’s proud that she taught her boys to volunteer, and the family is still very involved with serving the community.
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