Mary H Appleberry

Dr. Mary Othelia Hilton Appleberry (“Molly”), age 93, died peacefully in Nacogdoches, Texas, on November 30, 2014, following an extended illness. She was born in Sheridan, Wyoming, on May 18, 1921, to Eleanor Erlandson Hilton and Clarence Earl Hilton.

She is survived by a daughter, Lynn Appleberry Terrill of Irving, Texas; granddaughters, Lynette Othelia Terrill and husband Mark Whiting of Toronto, Canada, and Teri Allyn Terrill of Lewisville, TX; a son, Lee Bert Appleberry and daughter-in-law Tanya Tullos of Houston; grandsons, John Taylor Appleberry and wife Tara McGuigan Appleberry of Missouri City, Texas, and Robert Andrew Appleberry of Houston, Texas; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. The love of her life, her husband, Bert Peacock Appleberry, died in September, 2011.

An adored only child, Molly and her parents moved to Southern California when she was four so her mother, who was a teacher, could be treated by medical specialists and her father, who was an engineer, could join his brothers’ construction business. Nurtured by her parents and loving aunts and uncles who lived nearby, including two who were teachers, Molly was a frail child who learned to love reading at a very early age. She remained a voracious reader throughout her life and developed a passion for choral and orchestral music. Her father built and sold several successful motels and small businesses, but moved his family so often that Molly lived in nine different towns, attended a dozen different schools, and “skipped” grades before graduating from Redding High School shortly before her sixteenth birthday.

Sadly, her mother died two months after her graduation so Molly and her father moved to Los Angeles in 1937. She attended UCLA for one semester before transferring to George Pepperdine College. She thrived in its unique environment, small classes, excellent choral and orchestral music programs, and prepared herself for a teaching career. The onset of WWII caused a shortage of teachers which allowed her to do substitute teaching in Fontana during her final semester at Pepperdine. In fall, 1942 she began her teaching career in a one room school with thirty six students in seven grades in the rural community of Apple Valley, CA, which was in the Mohave Desert near Victorville. She and Bert met while he was stationed at the Army Air Corp training center in Victorville. They fell in love and were married in Los Angeles on April 2, 1944.

After WWII, Molly and Bert moved to Southeastern Arkansas to live near his family. Molly taught in the Glendale (Star City), Winchester, and Dollarway (Pine Bluff) schools while they began their family with the arrivals of Lynn in 1946 and Lee in 1949. In 1951, they moved to Clute, Texas, where Molly taught third grade at Clute Elementary and T.W. Ogg Elementary. While caring for her family and teaching full time, Molly commuted to Houston for many years and earned both a Masters of Education and an Ed.D. at the University of Houston. She briefly served on the faculty of Brazosport Junior College before accepting a position with Northwestern Louisiana State University in Shreveport in 1968. She joined the Elementary Education department faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University in 1970. She retired as Professor Emerita in 1990. During a teaching career which spanned forty-four years, Molly touched countless lives first as a classroom teacher, then by sharing her experience and passion for teaching with students at SFA. She contributed to textbooks and wrote several articles about reading and children’s literature. She travelled extensively with her family and professionally, particularly enjoying Elderhostel programs around the country. She was active in the International Reading Association, Texas Association for Improvement of Reading, and University Professional Women and other organizations.

Molly and Bert built their home on a tract of land on the Appleby Fire Tower Road and lived there for more than thirty-five years. They became active members of First United Methodist Church in Nacogdoches and enjoyed the Open Door Sunday school class. After retiring, Molly was a volunteer in the church library in addition to maintaining active memberships in AARP, Nacogdoches County Retired Teachers’ Association, Delta Kappa Gamma, Texas Education Extension Association, Appleby Volunteer Fire Department auxiliary, and other organizations. Molly was a prolific correspondent who enjoyed sending notes and birthday cards to friends and family members and loved spending time with them. After retiring, she published a memoir called Mary Catherine’s Year about her grandmother, Mary Catherine Taylor Hilton.

The family wishes to thank the staff at The Arbor for their loving care of Molly during her residence there. They also wish to thank the doctors, nurses and technicians who cared for her during her final stay at Nacogdoches Memorial Hospital. Special thanks are extended to Molly’s personal physician of many years, Dr. Philip LaBarbera, whose devotion to Molly’s care and well-being enabled her to live a long and active life.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider making a memorial donation to either the Bert and Mary Appleberry Scholarship c/o the Stephen F. Austin State University Alumni Association, P.O. Box 6096, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962; First United Methodist Church, 201 E. Hospital Street, Nacogdoches, 75961; The Hospice of East Texas, 4111 University Blvd, Tyler, Texas 75701; Friends of Nacogdoches Public Library, 1112 North Street, Nacogdoches, Texas 75961; or a charity of your choice.

Visitation will be held at Cason Monk-Metcalf, 5400 North Street in Nacogdoches, from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3, 2014.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, 201 E. Hospital Street, Nacogdoches, at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 4, 2014. Rev. John Bingham, Dr. Jeff McDonald, and Rev. Trent Oliver will be officiating the service. A private family graveside interment at Sunset Memorial Park in Nacogdoches, Texas.

Honorary pallbearers are: Dr. Tom Franks; Dr. John Thornton; Dr. Jerry Irons; Dr. Otis Rhodes; Dr. Don Fare; Dr. Milton Payne; and Dr. Windall Spreadbury.

Online memories and condolences may be offered at www.CasonMonk-Metcalf.com.

Arrangements are under the direction of Cason Monk-Metcalf Funeral Directors at 5400 North Street in Nacogdoches, Texas.