Mary S. Hite, 87, of Bardstown, died Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. She was born May 13, 1939 in Fairfield to Sam Simpson and Geraldine Bixler Simpson. She was the beloved wife of Joseph Richard “Joey” Hite, who died March 22, 2009.
She was truly a godly woman who raised her five children alongside Joey in the Catholic Church, making her faith the foundation of a fruitful life. She went on to share that same faith with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Along the way, she worked at the Fairfield Post Office and at the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History in Bardstown, gathering and sharing the stories of both towns. She loved her family and her community deeply, and she showed it in the simplest, most personal ways.
She was known for sending a card or handwritten note for every birthday, holiday, and special occasion, and just as often a text for no reason at all, so that the people she loved always knew she was thinking of them.
She never took the quick way when the long, scenic one would do. She loved wandering the backroads of Kentucky in search of wildflowers and was known to keep a shovel in the car for a quick souvenir for her garden.
She had the strongest memory of anyone who knew her. She could recall stories, names, and dates from decades past as if they had happened yesterday, and she held onto them for years so they wouldn’t be lost.
Her love for Bardstown and its history made her the person to ask about the town’s past and the families who made it. She loved genealogy and never met a stranger. She was quick to ask where you were from, who you were kin to, and what street you grew up on, and before long she’d be telling you how she knew your grandmother and a story or two you had never heard about your own family. Friends, family, and neighbors alike knew they could sit down with her and exchange stories for hours, and they often did.
She lived a simple life and found her joy in the simple things: her faith, her family, a good conversation, watching the birds feed from her window, a pretty wildflower on the side of the road, and a late-night crossword or round of Wordscapes. Her quick wit and sweet nature left a lasting impression on everyone she met. She showed the same kindness to all, whether family, friend, or stranger. Those who knew her, and especially those raised in her presence, will carry her stories, her memories, and a kinder spirit with them for years to come.
She was preceded in death by her siblings.
She is survived by one daughter, Joanie (Chuck) Young; four sons, Richard Hite, John Hite, James Hite, and Charles (Lisa Cliggett) Hite; seven grandchildren, Daniel (Ashley) Ryan, Lisa (Justin) Gabehart, Matthew Hudson, John Hite, Tara Hite, Lyndsay Young, and Catherine Young; several great-grandchildren; and many loving sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends who will miss her dearly.
In honoring her wishes, cremation was chosen.
The memorial Mass is 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at St. Michael the Archangel Church in Fairfield with the Rev. Quan Nguyen officiating. Burial is in the church cemetery.
The Houghlin-Greenwell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
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