Mary Louise McDuffie White Addison was born March 26, 1942, in Coushatta, Louisiana to the late Doyle “Joe” McDuffy and Eliza “Sadie” Addison Williams August. At an early age she joined and was baptized at Zion Chapel Baptist Church in Coushatta, Louisiana, under the leadership of Rev. Berry and Rev. Colman. She attended and graduated from Springville High School in 1960.
After graduation she left the ancestral home of her grandparents and came to Houston, to live with her mother where she attended Texas Southern University (TSU) until 1963. She left Houston, after being unable to complete her dream of entering the Tele Communication Industry.
She married the late James Emanuel White in 1962. They later divorced and she moved to Denver in 1968, and met Elmore “Bobby” Barnes Jr. From this union a son Robin Ali Barnes was born in February 1973. She joined Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church in 1976 under the leadership of Rev. Goshen and Rev. Manning Perkins until she relocated back to Houston in 2003.
Her dream job was always to work for Mountain Bell (Ma Bell). She tried unsuccessfully to get a job with Southwest Bell. Only when she applied to Ma Bell in Denver, on April 3, 1973, she got the job the same day she applied. She worked for that same company for 30 years. Retiring September 13, 2002, from Qwest (formally Mt. Bell and US West) she began work in May of 1992 at Colorado National Bank and retired October 2002. She always said she asked God for that telephone job when she was a little girl, and God gave it to her and only he could remove her. She survived every merger and every downsize the company went through. She retired in 2002 and moved back to Texas in 2003.
She joined Bethel Baptist Church in August of 2004 and became an active worker in God’s ministry. Being a part of the Helping Hands and Sisters In Christ ministries she was able to devote her time and resources helping others. Her passions were traveling, reading, and doing puzzles. She loved traveling and traveled all over the world mostly by herself with God’s Blessings.
Mary Louise McDuffie Addison attended TSU for 3 years 1960-1964 dropping out to marry James White. Eventually graduating from Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Washington with a BA degree and a 3.8 grade point average in 1999 at the age of 57 years old, proving it is never too late to earn a degree. She also earned an associate degree in Business Management in 1992 at the Community College of Denver, where she also earned a Pharmacy Technician Certificate. She was also inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society in 1992, this is where members are chosen on the bases of academic achievements. She also became a member of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) in Houston, Tx in 2009.
Mary Louise Addison leaves to cherish her memory, her son Robin Ali Barnes, siblings - Betty Taylor (Steve deceased), Edgar Lee Williams, George Routt (Vivian deceased), nieces- Angela Williams, Alicia Gentry, great nieces- Rosalind Riley, Rebecca Williams, nephew-Roman Flanagan, great-great niece-Nneka Carter, and a host of extended family and friends.
