Mary Alice Uyetani wrestled, competed in roller derbys, dived into a pool through rings of fire and drove trucks loaded with munitions.
“Auntie Mame had nothing on Mary Alice,” said a friend, P.J. VanderStowe of Golden.
Uyetani, who later waited tables in Golden for years, died March 11 at 82.
“She could tell some wonderful stories,” said VanderStowe, adding that “some may have been exaggerated.”
But the family has pictures and clippings of Uyetani’s exploits proving that many of her stories were true.
With the wrestling matches, “there were no rules,” said her son, Wayne Uyetani of Thornton. “But I imagine some of it was fake, just like it is today.”
Most of Uyetani’s exploits occurred when she was a teenager and in her early 20s.
She loved the challenges, said her daughter, Debbie Uyetani of Long Beach, Calif. But the stunts were also a way of earning money to support herself.
One family photo shows her preparing to dive 50 feet into a pool, and others show her wrestling. In one, “Mad Mary,” as she was called, is twirling her opponent above her head, and in another Uyetani is being pinned by her opponent.
The Kansas City Bombers included about 60 men and women who traveled to several states, where 16 of them would form two teams and compete against one another.
“You didn’t get any money if you didn’t skate, and you got more money if your team won,” Wayne Uyetani said.
People in the audience got so heated that some threw things at the wrestlers, who were sometimes escorted out of the arena by guards. Uyetani had a scar on her forehead the rest of her life from a mustard jar someone threw at her, Debbie Uyetani said.
Mary Uyetani was also somewhat of a pool hustler, said her son, “and she was so good she could kick my butt even when she was older.”
After moving to Colorado, Uyetani waited tables at the Old Heidelberg, Holland House and Holiday Inn restaurants, all in Golden.
A short woman with platinum blond hair enhanced by a wig, she loved to dress up and match jewelry. “She had a bubbly personality, and people liked to sit at her tables,” said her son.
But Uyetani was constantly playing practical jokes on people and getting revenge on those who angered her. Sometimes she’d put fruit in the chandeliers or hide all the orange slices from the bartender, VanderStowe said.
Once a customer was “harassing” another waitress and the next time Uyetani went by the man’s table, she purposely let a bowl of split pea soup fall on him, VanderStowe said.
“She was a funny lady, but she wasn’t pleasant when you got on her bad side,” said Theresa Neugebauer of Golden, who waited tables with Uyetani.
Mary Alice Sherman was born in Kansas City, Mo., on June 28, 1926.
She married Kenneth Enyart, and they moved to Colorado in 1953. The couple had two children.
They later divorced, and Mary Alice Enyart married George Uyetani in 1962.
In addition to him, her son and daughter, she is survived by one grandchild.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com
