Mary Ellen Ragle

Our Mimi was born on November 20, 1917 in the family farm house on Chalk Hill in Dallas Texas. Her daddy ran a dairy in Arcadia Park and she always told us she was quite a tomboy which has always been a bit hard to picture for those of us who know her insistence on lipstick and eyebrow pencil. She was very close to her mother who was a gifted seamstress. Mary Ellen entered an essay contest when she was still a girl and won a sewing machine for her mother.

While she was still in high school, her cousins introduced her to a tall, lanky young man named Howard Ragle. He was instantly smitten with Mary Ellen. Their first date was a hay ride which ended with a turn through downtown Dallas. Howard finally got up the nerve for that first kiss. When he opened his eyes again, the movie marquee lights had gone out and he was sure he had been blinded by love.

Mary Ellen and Howard were married on October 6,1938. Howard worked, first as a jewelry salesman and then a mailman. In 1942, he joined the Navy and the young couple made some wonderful memories while he was stationed in New Orleans. But in 1945, Howard was transferred to the USS Admiral W.S.Benson, a Navy minesweeper. Mary Ellen followed him as far as San Francisco for a two week visit before he left. She waited for his return in their new house in the Oak Cliff part of Dallas.

Peacetime brought the birth of their first daughter Jan. Four and a half years later, Jan’s claim to the center of the universe was interrupted by the birth of another girl, Patti.

Mary Ellen was a devoted mother. Memories of her girls’ childhood include library trips, being read to, and arts and crafts. They also include lots of shopping trips. Mary was also a devoted shopper. She didn’t usually buy, she just shopped. When the girls started school, Mary worked part time as a legal secretary for tax lawyer, Sylvan Tobolowsky.

After 48 years of marriage, Howard died of a heart attack due to diabetic complications. Mary Ellen lived on her own in Dallas until she moved to Houston in 2004.

Her final home was Reunion Court Assisted Living where she made many friends. She passed away on June 20, 2020 at age 102. She is survived by her daughters Jan and Patti, grandchildren Julie, Jennifer, Lauren and Sully and great grandchildren Klayton, Kenneth, Jacob, Bella and Eliana.

She was a unique person: shy, kind, grateful, but also with strong opinions on how she liked things to be. She will be fondly remembered. It’s nice to know that she and her first and only love are reunited at last.

Private burial will be in Dallas, Texas.