Mary Abney Mitchell's Obituary
Mary Abney Mitchell was born on August 24, 1924, in Gibsland, Louisiana; she passed from this life on August 21, 2016. She was the younger of two daughters born to John and Mattie Lee Sale Abney. She graduated from Gibsland High School and attended Louisiana Tech for one year. Her father was a Bell Telephone Pioneer and after the USA entered WW2, she became a Bell Telephone operator in Homer, Louisiana.
She married Thomas Manning Mitchell, Jr. on Thanksgiving Day in 1945; and his death in 2010 came shortly before their 65th wedding anniversary. They moved their young family of three boys from Ruston to Longview in the summer of 1955, and lived in Greggton and Longview since then. She was a homemaker, Cub Scout leader, raised boys and dogs, played the piano and was active in numerous churches. She had an active mind and loved to read, and passed that gift on to her sons. After the boys were old enough to be responsible (?) she worked outside the home, principally for BB Answering Service where she had many friends. Upon Manning's retirement in 1985, they traveled the US and Canada extensively with Sophie, their last Dachshund and their TransVan. She was the driver, and Dad the navigator.
She was a Christian; associated over the decades with several Presbyterian Churches in this area, most recently Evangelical Presbyterian Church (formerly Holy Trinity Community Church). She was a person of strong will and unwavering faith, forthright and honest, with great personal integrity.
Preceding her in death were her parents, her husband T.M. Mitchell, her beloved sister, Mabel and husband Louie Wilson, her brother-in-law Robert Pitts Thomas, niece Nell Thomas Duncan, and daughter-in-law Lena Mitchell.
She is survived by her sons and their wives; Thomas Manning III and Marolen Mitchell of East Mountain, Joseph Abney and Charlotte Mitchell of Indian Rock, William David and Christi Mitchell of Colorado; grandson John Abney Mitchell, wife Stephine and son Daven of Tyler; and granddaughter Anna Mabel Mitchell of Colorado; sister-in-law Janie Mitchell Thomas, nephew Robert P. Thomas, Jr. and niece Susan Thomas Williams, all of Gibsland, Louisiana.
Her sons express their gratitude to Dr. Larry Frase, Texas Oncology Staffers, the folks at Summer Meadows, and Heartsway Hospice for their kind attention to our Mother’s needs. Our special thanks also to her gracious neighbors, Dan Stroh, Carol Mullinax, and Jane Johnson.
Rev. Beau Sullivan of the EPC will conduct a memorial service to be held at Rader Funeral Home in Longview at 10:00 AM on Monday, August 29th. A time for visitation will follow the service. Our Mother believed in supporting worthy causes, and we would encourage Memorial contributions to any charity that speaks to your heart.
“You were a presence full of light upon this earth, and I am a witness to your life and to its worth.”
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