Mary Cabiness Jansen

Mary Cabiness Jansen passed away peacefully at home in Austin on January 12, 2025, with family around her. She was born Mary Lucille Cabiness, Feb 9, 1924 in Wichita Falls Texas, daughter of Mayme Lucille Tyler Cabiness and Collins Calhoun Cabiness, and younger sister of Florence Kathryn Cabiness Rennie. Her early years were spent in Tulsa, OK, where her father was a bank loan officer. At doctors’ recommendation due to Collins’ poor health, he left banking and the family moved to Oklahoma City, and then to Denver in 1932 where Collins became president of an oxygen company that he and two friends had purchased.

Collins’ health never returned, and in 1938 he died at the age of 55 when Mary was only 14. Mayme had promised Collins she would keep the company going, and following his death she became known as an astute businesswoman, managing the Denver Oxygen Company for nearly 20 years. Mary must have been a precocious youngster to have developed such character - and despite that sadness she described a happy childhood with many neighborhood playmates.

In 1941 Mayme and Mary visited Estes Park, CO to look for a property where the family could get away and relax. Through a stroke of luck, they found a beautiful log cabin, where Mayme and the girls would enjoy the spectacular beauty of the Rocky Mountains. The Cabin would remain an important part of Mary’s life, and is still cherished by her family. In 1942, Mary graduated from East High School in Denver. She and her best friend, Helen Moenke from that time would always remain close.

Mary had developed a great love of music, and was blessed with a wonderful voice. After a short time at Randolph Macon Women’s College in Virginia, Mary moved to New York City to study voice at Barnard College, and in 1947 she graduated with a BA in Music. She and her dear college roommate Ellen Rockwood remained close friends for the next 80 years and even spoke in the week before Mary died.

While in NYC, Mary met the love of her life, John Frederick Jansen. John was one of three sons of a family of Dutch immigrants, at that time spending a semester at Yale Divinity School, before returning to Princeton Seminary where he would receive his Th.D. The two were married in her home church, Central Presbyterian, in Denver on August 7, 1947. John took a position as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Flemington, NJ, where they made their first home. Their first son, John Jr, was born there in 1949.

At a young age, Mary had done baby-sitting for 5 little boys and adored them. She said from then on, she always wanted to have 5 boys! Over the next decade she and John made several moves as he entered a career of teaching, and they grew their family. Tyler was born in 1950 in Waukesha, WI where John was prof. of Bible and Dean of Men at Carroll College. And in 1955, Mark was born in Hanover, ID, where John was prof. at Hanover College. There were very difficult times to come though, as Mary’s mother Mayme died later that year, and in 1957 Mary’s fourth baby, Paul, died in infancy.

In 1958 the family moved to Austin, TX where John was professor of New Testament at the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Mary and John joined Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Mary was a stand-out member of the choir there for 50 years. Austin would be their permanent home, and sons David and Andy were born in 1958 and 1960. Mary had her five boys.

Mary enjoyed her chosen role as a “fulltime mom”, raising the boys and caring for John, who was extremely devoted to his study and teaching. They shared a love of God and Christ, and a deep faith that was always at Mary’s core, and her life was true to her faith. She was a loving wife and mother. She was also lots of fun to be around, and had a sharp wit. She had to fend for herself, living with all those males. She would go to some lengths to get them to notice her sometimes, like finally pulling off an unnoticed wig at the dinner table, or asking if anyone realized she’d been wearing contacts for days!

Through the church she developed a great many close friendships, and loved a social life with dear friends. She was passionate about her many interests, and generous with her time and gifts to many charitable causes.

As the boys got older, Mary entered studies in special education at the University of Texas, and in 1972 she received her MA degree with a major in education. Working with special needs children and young adults was rewarding and she enjoyed having a paying job herself. But after 5 years teaching, Mary joined John in Cambridge on a third of four half-year sabbatical leaves abroad, and would not return to teaching afterwards. Earlier sabbaticals had brought the family to Zeist, and to Scheveningen, Netherlands. She loved Cambridge, but those experiences in Holland were especially meaningful to Mary and she described them as some of the happiest times of her life.

John passed away suddenly and unexpectedly in 1987. After that loss, and with the boys now on their own, Mary did some part time work as she delved into other interests. Important among these was her involvement with the United Nations Association of Austin, where she was on the board since its founding in 1993. She was a member of League of Women Voters/Austin, and member of the Hilltop Guild of Allenspark, CO. She was a regular participant and 11-year recruiter for the annual Crop Walk, and joined in protest against wars with Women in Black. She understood that with better understanding we wouldn’t need wars, and worked to help establish a Central Texas chapter of the Model United Nations. She was deeply concerned with things like privatization of water resources - years ago before many of us understood the need to be.

One of the most difficult times of her life was in 2006 when she lost her eldest son, John Jr. She would often say there’s nothing greater than a mother’s love, and surely there can be no greater sadness than that loss. Her sons always adored her and were close with each other, which was a blessing. Mark would remain in Austin and was always there for her; the other boys lived in Colorado and California, but would talk often and visit regularly. And Mary continued spending summers at the Cabin where all of the boys loved to visit, until 2015 when the trip had become too much for her.

Mary was her beautiful self to the very end - always curious, and loving. She probably never made an important decision without thinking about it from more than one angle, and could find a question about most anything before accepting it! She had a knack for finding wonderful friends and keeping them close. It’s a difficult thing for someone who lives as long as Mary, that she had to lose most everyone dear to her. But she loved to laugh and could find humor along with the sadness in life. She inspired all who were lucky to know her, with abundant grace, faith, and love.

Mary is survived by her sons Tyler Cabiness Jansen and wife Carolyn Snow Jansen, Mark Berthus Jansen, David Collins Jansen and wife Cynthia Wallace Jansen, and Andrew Paul Jansen. By John Fredreck Jr’s wife Joan Jansen and their children and families: by Daria Jansen Smith and her husband Chris Smith and son Oliver, by Cory Morgan and his wife Marisol and daughters Clara and Stella, by Nathan Morgan and his wife Angie and daughters Margot and Eleanor. By Tyler and Carolyn’s children and families: by Ruthie Jansen Bailey and her husband Dylan Bailey, by Carrie Brooke Gonzalez and her husband Jesse Gonzalez and daughter Carmella, by Shawnee Swank and her daughter Lily. By Andy’s son John David Jansen. By her sister Florence Cabiness Rennie’s children Beverly and Jim. By her cousin Karen Goodrich.

A memorial and celebration of Mary’s life is scheduled for 1:30pm on Saturday April 12 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3208 Exposition Blvd, Austin, TX 78703. The family requests memorial donations be made to Westminster Presbyterian Church in lieu of flowers (https://wpcaustin.org/give) .