Mary Elizabeth Tolbert Banks

Mary Elizabeth Tolbert Banks, age 86, died Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at her home near Sikeston, MO.

Born December 22, 1939, at Sikeston, MO, to the late Rev. Kelly Tolbert and Bertha King Tolbert, she grew up in the Sikeston area and later lived in Edwardsville, IL for several years before returning to Sikeston. An ordained minister of the Gospel, Mary pastored Trinity Chapel in Sikeston a number of years and was known for her musical talents that she and her sisters shared as “The Tolbert Sisters”, singing for numbers of funerals and other church and community events throughout the area.

On March 2, 1963, she married Howard Thomas Banks, and he survives of the home.

Also surviving are their sons, Philip (Mechelle) Banks of Sikeston and Stephen (Heather) Banks of Arnold, MO; her grandchildren, Sarah (Josh) Holmes, Sam Banks, Steven Banks and Sophia Banks; great grandchildren, Tyson Holmes, Kylie Holmes and Stevie Banks; her brother, John (Sandy) Tolbert of Advance, as well as nieces, nephews and cousins and a very special family friend, Paula Culbertson.

In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her great grandson, Harrison Banks; her brothers, Daniel Tolbert and Paul Tolbert; and her sisters, Grace Tolbert McCann, Jean Tolbert Stayton and Lillian Ann “Pickle” Tolbert.

There is no visitation.

Family and friends may assemble at 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 2, 2026, at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield, MO.

Interment will follow under the direction of McMikle Funeral Home of Sikeston, MO.

Online condolences may be shared at www.mcmiklefuneralhome.com.

The family requests no flowers please.