Mary Anne Shirley

Mary Anne was born in Alabama City, AL, on August 10, 1936, to Guy and Mary Beatrice Thompson Mount. The eldest of three daughters, she helped raise her two younger sisters. She was a graduate of Emma Sansom High School in Gadsden, AL, where she was a member of various clubs, including the Glee Club and the Bel Canto Choir. Mary Anne had the voice of an angel and sang with various bands and ensembles. Mary Anne was also the Talisman Queen of 1954 at ESHS. A former Miss Dixie and Miss Gadsden, she was one of the pioneers that paved the way for the introduction of teenage beauty pageants. Mary Anne was not just beautiful on the outside but a beautiful person on the inside. She will be remembered as one who loved and gave of herself unconditionally.

Her passion was with her family – providing a home for her mother and daughter, Neala. After spending 25 years as a hospital administrator in Radiology and Anesthesiology at Baptist Medical Center Montclair in Birmingham, AL. Mary Anne wanted more for her family when she moved them to Houston, TX, in October 1976, where she spent the next 25 – 35 years as an administrator for two of the largest orthopedic practices in the city.

Mary Anne is survived by her beloved and only daughter, Neala Shirley Fogarty, beloved son-in-law, Joseph; beloved granddaughter, Bronwyn Fogarty of Houston, TX; sisters, Glenda Edwards of Birmingham, AL, and Kathryn Moody (Bob) of Sugar Land, TX; niece, Mary Evelyn Horton (Richard) of Birmingham, AL; nephews, Tre’ Edwards (Kelly) of Hunstville, AL; Robert Moody of Sugar Land, TX; Chris Moody (Lisa) of Sugar Land, TX, and Jonathon Moody of Sugar Land, TX; and numerous great nieces, nephews, and cousins.

A warm and loving thank you to: her best friend, Ann Watson, who never left her side; we don’t know what we would have done without you; all those who lifted us up in daily prayer and gave us the strength to persevere, especially in her final days; her physicians, Dr. Tehmina Badar and Dr. Anjali Varde, thank you for your love and care. She would not have made it this far without you; to her hospice team, your love, care, and support through all of this which kept us going; and finally but not least, to her recent caregivers, Minique Jones and especially Edith Lundy, thank you for the companionship and laughter you brought into her life when we could not be there.

Friends are invited to a visitation with the family from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Friday, January 24, 2014, at The Settegast-Kopf Co. @ Sugar Creek, with a Rosary to be recited at 7:00 PM. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM, Saturday, January 25, 2014, at St. Albert of Trapani Catholic Church, 11027 S. Gessner, Houston.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Mary Anne’s name may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Attn: Tribute Program, Tribute # 35177521, P.O. Box 1000, Dept. 142, Memphis, TN, 38148, or to The Lebanese School for the Blind and Deaf, in care of Dr. Isaam Raad, 4207 Clearwater Ct., Missouri City, TX 77459 (Checks made payable to HOME).