A service will be held July 29 at 2 p.m. at the Griggs-Schooler-Gordon Funeral Home, 5400 Bell St., Amarillo, TX. A graveside service will follow.
Born in Tye, Texas on November 25, 1919, she was the ninth child of Clara Keeton and Elliott Herschel Cornett. She spent the majority of her life in Texas, supporting her husband and his ministry while he pastored five Baptist Churches. She and Samuel had been married more than 55 years when he passed in 1996.
Unbeknownst to Mary Lee, she would face many challenges in her formative years. When she was a mere six weeks old, her mother passed from the great flu epidemic that ravaged the country in 1919. She lived with her fraternal grandparents until age 11, and then spent the rest of her youth with Tom and Anna Lee Hatchett in Selden, TX.
Mary Lee however, emerged from a challenging childhood, with her spirit intact. She graduated from Tarleton College in Stephenville, TX where she met her future husband, Samuel Burleson Ogan. When they married on June 1, 1941, it would mark the beginning of their life together. Initially, they settled in Shiloh, TX, where Mary Lee taught grades one through three and Samuel was the superintendent.
In 1943, their marriage would be tested as Samuel enlisted in the Navy and served in the South Pacific during World War II. They were separated for two years due to the war, but it was that service to his country, that would lead the couple in a new direction.
Samuel graduated from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Ft. Worth, and in 1947, he started a church in Borger, TX. The war had created a spiritual need for fellowship and he and Mary Lee followed the calling. They were known for hosting evangelical leaders who preached the urgency to be saved. And when the revivals were over, those same leaders would come back to the haven of the Ogan household, filling it with love and laughter.
The couple eventually settled in Hereford, TX. In 1972, Mary Lee would have another life defining moment. A tragic house fire resulted in third degree burns to over half of her body. She overcame those burns, failed skin grafts, and numerous infections with a stalwart nature and her faith in God. While the burns greatly affected the movement of her hands and shoulders, she never let her disability impede her life. In fact, she was known for making up games like “flashlight tag” that allowed her to still interact with her 10 grandchildren. Despite her physical limitations, she also continued her passion as an expert seamstress and craftswoman.
She lived and epitomized Proverbs 3: 5&6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.
Mary Lee’s life had a strong foundation – evidenced by the fact she taught Sunday school until the age of 88. She was also her husband’s caregiver as he battled Alzheimer’s for 10 years, even as her own health was failing.
In 2007, Mary Lee moved to Oklahoma City. Despite losing her eyesight several years ago, she lived her life with grace and dignity. Family members describe her as a woman who knew how to persevere in the worst of circumstances. She found solace in her religion, and was a lifetime member of The Baptist Church.
One brother, Vic Cornett of Mineral Wells, TX, survives Mary Lee. She also leaves behind two daughters and one son, Anna Ruth Featherstone (Ernie), Debbie Pitman (Marsh), and Sam Ogan (Debra). She’s also survived by 10 grandchildren, Holly Duncan, Hayden Andrews (Marnie), Amanda O’Donnell (Eoghan), Gabe Pitman (Christa), Abbie Parker (Ben), Ben Pitman, (Sarah), Luke Pitman (Dianna), Jonathan Pitman (Elizabeth), Susan Kiesling (Troy) and Nicole Johnson (Nick). Twenty-one great grandchildren will also miss her presence.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Faith City Mission, 401 SE 2nd Ave., Amarillo, TX 79101, or to the Oklahoma Library for the Blind, 300 NE 18th St., Oklahoma City, OK 73105.
