Miriam Bozeman Usry

Miriam Bozeman Usry, 93, of Dallas, Texas, went to be with her Lord on Friday, January 17, 2025. She passed away from a hemorrhagic stroke after living in a memory care home for 10 months. Miriam was born on May 15, 1931, in Nashville to Henry and Mary McGovern Bozeman. She attended Hillsboro High School where she excelled in school and enjoyed serving as the editor of the school newspaper. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in business and a minor in math and was a part of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. While attending college, she worked at WSM Radio/TV and frequently interacted with Grand Ole Opry performers. Upon graduation, Miriam moved to Kingsport, TN, to work for Eastman Kodak. After a few years, she decided to move to Dallas, a more bustling and exciting city, where she was employed by Texas Instruments and attended Highland Park Presbyterian. It was during this time that she met Raleigh Usry and the two were wed in 1960. She and Raleigh had 3 children within a four-year span. Miriam was a hard worker with a sharp mind. She began working again when her children were in late elementary school as a math teacher, eventually teaching at Lake Highlands High School where her children attended. She subsequently left teaching and returned to the business world as an accountant where she worked well into her 70s. Miriam was a long time member at Lake Highlands Methodist Church who greatly treasured her church class, Koinonia. Miriam’s faith developed as a youth in her Presbyterian church. She would later quiz her children about the answer to the first entry in the Westminster Shorter Catechism (“Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever”). Some of her favorite passages were Psalms 1 and 19. It was important to Miriam that her loved ones had a saving faith in her Lord Jesus.

Miriam greatly enjoyed square dancing and playing bridge, often doing both with multiple groups. However, her many efforts to persuade her children to take up these pursuits were unsuccessful. Her needs were simple. She took no pleasure in fancy houses, cars or clothes. She rarely read novels or watched television but never missed reading her morning newspaper. Her depression-era upbringing and analytical nature contributed to her interest in investing with a particular interest in rental homes. She was keen to purchase investment books for her grandchildren. Miriam’s pragmatic nature was reflected in her decision to beat the traffic and leave the famous Cowboys 1974 Thanksgiving game early with her son Bill before Clint Longley stepped in to help defeat Washington.

Miriam is survived by her 3 children, Joan (Alex) Stanton of Hallsville, Bill (Rose) Usry of Austin and Jim Usry of Dallas; her 10 grandchildren, Monica Stanton, Luke Stanton, Olivia (Harrison) Duban, Valerie Stanton, Claire Stanton, Ying Stanton, Sara (Moses) Pierson, Zach Usry, Blake Usry and Paige Usry; and her great grandson, Miles Duban. She is preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Mary Bozeman, her dear Aunt Florence McGovern Moore, her first husband Raleigh Usry and her second husband Lars Noren.

The funeral service will be Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 2 PM at Sparkman/Hillcrest Northwest Highway, 7405 West Northwest Highway, Dallas TX. Interment will follow at Laurel Land Memorial Park.