Lillian passed away peacefully on Oct 31 at the age of 99. She was preceded in death by her husband, John Kurz, in 1971. Lillian was very self reliant and resilient, surviving colon cancer and a hip replacement in her seventies, but she never completely recovered from a broken hip this last April. She was born in Bryan and wanted to attend Texas A&M to become a veterinarian, but A&M did not accept women at that time. Undaunted, she became the first woman rural mail carrier in the state of Texas and retired 17 years later. She knew Bonnie and Clyde and delivered their mail and found it hard to believe they did what the papers said. Lillian and John used her retirement money to buy a 256 acre Farm in 1946. They raised sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, horses and every kind of fowl on the Farm and had many dogs and cats. She loved animals and finally realized her dream by becoming an unofficial veterinarian and rancher. Everyone was always welcome at the Farm to enjoy the outdoors, the animals, and to fish. The five Collmer kids all spent memorable summers at the Farm. Lillian lived on the Farm for 64 years and left an amazing legacy for her family who will continue to utilize it for recreational and agricultural purposes. Surprisingly, in her eighties, she even worked with the FBI to uncover Medicare fraud!! A memorial service is planned for 2:00 PM Sunday afternoon, Nov 7, at Holy Cross Catholic Church located at 4910 Bonnie View Rd in Dallas. Father Tim Gollob, pastor of Holy Cross and a long time friend of Lillian and the Collmer family, will officiate. In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations may be made to Holy Cross.
Arrangements under the direction of Calvary Hill Funeral Home, Dallas, TX.
