Mary Isabella Worrall Goodell

Mary Isabella Worrall Goodell passed away Saturday, September 18, 2010 in Baytown. She was born June 11, 1928 in Murrayville, Illinois to her late parents, Jabe and Mae Worrall. She later moved to Jacksonville, Illinois, where she spent her early years. She was the oldest of three children; sister, Nadine, now married to John Grogran and brother, Gerald Worrall, now married to Beverly. Nadine now resides in Rockford, Illinois and Gerald in Greeley, Colorado. Mary attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville and worked for a dentist.

On June 22, 1952, she and Kenneth Warner Goodell were united in marriage in Jacksonville. Their married life carried them to many places. The journeys began with a four year stay in Maryland, where they became the parents of two sons: Mark and Gerald. Thence, to New Hampshire, where Ken was a student of Old Testament at Boston University School of Theology and served a church near Manchester, NH.

They moved back to Illinois, in 1957, to serve churches for 19 years. In that time, Mary was not only a minister's wife, but was active in the United Methodist Women. This included attending the Annual School of Missions and becoming the dean of the school. She also became an avid reader of the UMW and taught many mission classes in the local churches and for the conference.

In 1976, they moved to Texas, and together they served four churches in the Texas Annual Conference of the Methodist Church. After a year in Houston, where Ken was a Chaplain in the Memorial Hospital System, they lived and served churches in New Gulf, Lufkin, Pasadena, and Bay City. Retirement from the full time ministry came in 1992 and for a year lived in Galveston.

In 1993, Baytown�s Grace United Methodist Church called Ken to work part time as Associate Minister of Pastoral Care. In 1994, they moved to Baytown.

She is survived by her husband, Ken and their two sons, Mark and his wife Barbara who live in Wharton and Jerry who lives in Bloomington, Illinois. Her brother and sister survive as well as many nephews and nieces.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at Navarre Funeral Home. Services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, September 23, 2010 at Cedar Bayou Grace United Methodist Church�s Pruett Street location with Rev. Mike Proctor and Rev. Carol Turner officiating. Burial will follow at Memory Gardens.

Serving as pallbearers will be Gary Anderson, Dave Turner, Doug Harrison, Jack Womack, Rick Peebles, Jamie Lea, Don McCandless, and Leighton Littlefield. Honorary pallbearers will be Gary Bruns and Paul Golding.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Faith Community Hospice and the Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center of Baytown.

In Lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Alzheimer's Association, Houston & Southeast Texas Region, 2242 West Holcombe Blvd.,

Houston, TX 77030-2008, (713) 314-1313 or at alz.org/texas. Donations may also be made to Faith Community Hospice, 4721 Garth Rd., Suite H Baytown, Texas 77521, (281) 422-0414 or (877) 422-0414, faithcommunityhospice.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of Navarre Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 2444 Rollingbrook Drive, Baytown, Texas 77521, (281) 422-8111.