Jesusa Anson Wharton, known as Jessie to many in the United States, passed away in Kansas City, Missouri, at the age of 98 years old.

Born on May 30, 1927, Jessie was shaped by endurance, discipline, and an unshakable will to survive. She married Richard David Wharton Sr., the great love of her life, and together they built a home and raised their family, eventually settling in the United States. She was not a woman who relied on others—she built her way forward through work, instinct, and a quiet determination to stand on her own.

Her faith was constant. A devoted Catholic, she kept her rosary close and prayed often, usually in private. It was one of the few places where her inner life was fully her own.

Jessie worked well into her later years, remaining employed until the age of 86 at Hall’s Department Store, part of Hallmark. Work was not just responsibility—it was structure, independence, and pride.

She was the mother of eight children: Jeffery Oliver (Lourdes), Roland Oliver (Lilia), the late Marlene Oliver, Paul Edward Wharton (Cynthia), Frank Blake Wharton (Susan), Sandra Sue Priest (the late Joseph Priest), the late Clifford Edgar Wharton, and Vera Lynn Burdt (Benjamin).

Jessie loved her children fiercely and in her own way. She devoted her life to making sure they were taken care of—through work, sacrifice, and an unwavering sense of responsibility. She was deeply proud of each of them and the lives they built.

She leaves behind a large and extended family, including 21 grandchildren (Debbie, Sherri, Franco, Severina, Michael, Jesse, Myra, Charmaine, Scott, Angela, Richard, Troy, J.J., Sara, Tara, Gavin, Brittany, Dylan, Kramer, Maya, and Zeyta), 38 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild, and the many extended family members who became part of her life and were held within it.

Jessie carried herself with quiet strength and presence. In her later years, she returned to dancing—graceful and striking, with a confidence that left an impression on those who saw her—and could see the contradictions in life, often meeting them with humor, lightness, or a knowing remark. She did not always say everything she felt, but she saw more than she let on.

She was not always easy to know, but she was impossible to overlook. A powerful matriarch, she was deeply loved—by her children, her grandchildren, and the families that grew around them—and her presence shaped in ways both seen and unseen.

She will be remembered for her strength, her discipline, her independence, and the life she built—quietly, and on her own terms.