Obituary for Argie Staples (Koons)
Argie Inez Koons Staples, 69, died September 18, 2019 at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. She was born March 15, 1950, in Reading, PA, the daughter of Hanan and Ruth Wright Koons. As a schoolgirl, she studied at schools in the Plevna, KS area and attended the Plevna Community Church. In 1968, she graduated from Fairfield High School. In 1976 she received a BA degree at the University of Kansas. She completed all but the thesis for an MA degree in History at KU. On March 5, 1977 she married Mark Staples in Lawrence, KS. After marrying Mark, they moved to Boston and resided there until 1990. They lived in the Kendall Square neighborhood of Cambridge MA for 29 years. She was a dedicated amateur photographer and active in the Boston Camera Club for more than ten years. She spent her final years completing screen adaptations based on the Western novels of Zane Gray and attempting to have them produced. She also was a member of Zane Grey’s West Society. She embraced the themes of the classic Western and was dedicated to increasing awareness of the moral significance of the genre. She travelled with Mark to many places within the USA as well as foreign countries (Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean, Hawaii, French Polynesia, the Great Barrier Reef, and Antarctica) and especially enjoyed combining snorkeling with photography. She loved to cook for others in her own home and participated in a rotating gourmet club for about ten years.
Survivors include: her husband Mark Staples, of the home; son Eric Shanline (Lebanon, PA-son of first husband, Steve Shanline, Florida); granddaughter Chelsea Shanline (Washington, DC area-daughter of Eric Shanline); sister, Christine Roberts and husband Steve, Plevna, KS; sister-in-law, Joyce Newton and husband Brian, Oakland, OR; brother-in-law, Bryan Smith, Oro Valley AZ; 3 nieces and 2 nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, infant sister, and sister-in-law, Mary Smith, Oro Valley AZ. Argie’s body will be cremated in a ceremony, 10:00 am Thursday September 26, at Bigelow Chapel in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge MA. Flowers may be sent to 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge MA 02138. The ashes will be scattered at a memorial site at Mount Auburn Cemetery at a data to be determined.
Survivors include: her husband Mark Staples, of the home; son Eric Shanline (Lebanon, PA-son of first husband, Steve Shanline, Florida); granddaughter Chelsea Shanline (Washington, DC area-daughter of Eric Shanline); sister, Christine Roberts and husband Steve, Plevna, KS; sister-in-law, Joyce Newton and husband Brian, Oakland, OR; brother-in-law, Bryan Smith, Oro Valley AZ; 3 nieces and 2 nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, infant sister, and sister-in-law, Mary Smith, Oro Valley AZ. Argie’s body will be cremated in a ceremony, 10:00 am Thursday September 26, at Bigelow Chapel in Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge MA. Flowers may be sent to 580 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge MA 02138. The ashes will be scattered at a memorial site at Mount Auburn Cemetery at a data to be determined.