Mary Lou Spurgeon Adams

Mary Lou Spurgeon Adams passed peacefully into Heaven on April 10, 2022. Born in Nacogdoches May 6, 1947, to John Thomas Spurgeon and Lucille May Ross Spurgeon, she lived her entire life in Baytown. Mary Lou graduated from Lee High School in 1965, and attended Lee College for two years, before earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Texas in December 1970. She spent the early years of her career working in the insurance and wealth management industries where she was eventually introduced to her future husband, John Adams, who proposed to her on their first date. Mary Lou married John at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church within just over a year of meeting him. They were dedicated members of St. Mark’s for most of their life together, and the couple remained faithfully married for 51 years.

The daughter of a career special education teacher, Mary Lou had never considered teaching as an occupation. However, her interests began to shift, and while working for the State of Texas she began pursuing a teaching certification. Mary Lou was hired by Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District in 1974, and taught expectant female students for two years, helping them complete their high school studies. Later, she spent most of her 32-year public education career as the learning and language skills specialist at San Jacinto Elementary and later, Lorenzo De Zavala Elementary. Mary Lou was known for her fierce loyalty to teaching and education, near infinite compassion for children, and tremendous dedication to her pre-kindergarten through second grade students. After retirement, she remained in close contact with her many school friends.

Mary Lou was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and maintained memberships in teaching and social sororities, as well as the Baytown chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She ultimately earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Houston Clear Lake, and was only 12 hours short of achieving her Ph.D. However, the love she held for her young students caused her to cease studying because she didn’t want to leave the children to work in school administration. Even after retirement, Mary Lou never extricated herself entirely from education, and she found herself pulled back into the field, teaching learning and language skills for almost five more years at Saint Joseph private school in Baytown.

Mary Lou adored her numerous cats and dogs, and no stray dog was safe from her loving embrace. She and John enjoyed ski vacations together in their younger years, and she never tired of visiting family in Nacogdoches while eating their amazing cooking. Mary Lou had a magnificent sense of humor, and John could always make her burst out with that beautiful laugh.

Left to cherish Mary Lou’s memory is her dedicated husband of 51 years, John, along with numerous family members and dear friends.

A visitation will be held at St. Mark’s Methodist Church Tuesday, April 19, at 10 am, followed by a funeral service at 11am. Family members will participate in a private graveside service to be held afterwards.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association: https://www.alz.org/

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.navarrefuneralhome.com for the Adams family.