Mary Louise Gaither, age 88, passed away peacefully on Sunday evening, July 8, 2018 at the home of her daughter, Mary Nell (Frank) Morris, 710 Conestoga Circle in Katy, Texas, where she had been in hospice care for about a month. She was born on October 27, 1929 in Timpson, Texas in the home of her maternal grandparents, Will and Kate Jackson, to her parents, E. B. and Mildred Gaither. Mary Louise graduated from The University of Houston in 1951 and went on to become a gifted elementary school teacher. She leaves an educational legacy of literally hundreds of students whose lives she touched, including many second generations of students in the same family. She was also a very talented writer and authored many, many works of poetry and several children’s books. She had the spiritual gift of encouragement and shared her gift by means of letter writing, greeting cards, thank you notes, and phone calls. Almost everyone who knew her has probably at some time in his or her life received some form of encouragement from her that made a positive difference in their life. On December 17, 1949, Mary Louise married John Milton (Johnny) Frank. They had three children together, Mary Nell, Randy, and Kaye Lynn. Sadly the marriage failed and they divorced in 1963. She continued to teach school and raise her three children. Her children will all testify to the fact that she was a truly wonderful mother, through good times and hard times she raised them to know her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and brought all three of her children to Christ. She was a strong Christian and a wonderful witness for the Lord to many, many people over the course of her life. She is preceded in death by her parents and maternal grandparents (as previously mentioned), one brother, Orville D. Gaither, Sr., three sisters, Dorothea (Gaither) Brumage, Hazel (Gaither) Clark, and Ira Nell (Gaither) Scherz. She is survived by her daughter, Mary Nell (Frank) Morris, son, John Randall Frank (and daughter-in-law, Susan Frank), daughter, Kaye Lynn (Frank) McLaughlin, plus eight grandchildren, Sarah (McLaughlin) Newsome, Audra (McLaughlin) Nguyen, Kevin McLaughlin, Keith McLaughlin, Joshua Frank, Jennifer Morris, Jaclyn (McLaughlin) Ornelas, and Jesse Frank, plus nine great grandchildren and seven nieces and nephews. Family, friends and all others whose lives Mary Louise touched are invited to the Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas 77079 (between Dairy Ashford and Eldridge). Visitation and viewing will be held at 1:30 PM, Sunday, July 15, 2018 with the funeral service in the chapel at 2:00 PM. A private graveside service and internment will take place at Woodlawn cemetery in Timpson, Texas on Monday, July 16, 2018 at 12:30 PM for family members who wish to attend.
