Mary Anita McCawley

It is with deep sorrow that I announce the death of my beloved mother, Mary Anita Darby McCawley, age 88. She passed away quietly, peacefully and without struggle in the place that defined her life - both professionally as a Registered Nurse, and the place which took care of her on multiple occasions throughout her life – The Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

She died on October 15, 2026, surrounded by loved ones, including me, her son Kevin McCawley, and her best friend Mary Kent, whom she met in nursing school. Their friendship flourished from that point on and remained rock-solid and steadfast throughout mom’s life, until her final breath. Mom loved her as if she were her own sister, and

she never met a finer soul or more giving person. I am forever grateful that she was with me as mom passed into her Heavenly Reward. And I’m equally grateful that Mary Kent’s daughters Anita (named after mom) and Becky were also with us, as well as my closest friend, Jim Hieger. These fine people have all made my loss and grief much easier to bear, and I am forever grateful to each of them.

Mom loved people! She loved her patients in the ICU and Recovery Rooms, and they could not have received better care, for being a nurse was truly mom’s calling. She was one of the fortunate ones who KNEW what she was meant to do on this earth, never questioning it, and loving it until the day she retired. She did it with a rare mix of love, intelligence and duty that made her such an outstanding nurse that no less than Dr. Micheal E. DeBakey counted her among his best ICU nurses, as he went about pioneering

society-changing inventions and advances in medicine that the entire world benefits from today.

As much as mom loved her patients, she loved her family and friends even more. She guided me through life with an almost “mystical wisdom”, the origin of which can only be attributed to our Lord, for she always knew the right way to discipline or praise me, to reign me in or give me more “rope”, and to allow me to grow up feeling 100% loved, safe and sure of the world around me. Whether she was running the Concession Stand at my Little League baseball complex, or pushing me to finish my homework, or helping me to buy my first home with a down-payment, mom was always involved in my life, guiding, praying and allowing me to stumble in order to grow. A phrase she heard and repeated to me could not be more true: “No one EVER loves you like your mother”. She loved unconditionally, with an open and forgiving heart which she needed in dealing with me, as sometimes, I broke hers. But she always had her arms open to remind that that no matter the offense, I was still her son whom she loved and of whom she would always be proud. And I, in turn, was always so proud of her….my mother, the nurse. There is almost no more of a noble calling than caring for strangers who are sick and in need of help. “…. I was sick, and you cared for Me…” (Math 25:36) And mom was my finest example of how to take care of your beloved family members, as I watched her take care of her mother, my grandmother, Anita Mae Jordy Darby, until her death in 1988. “Granny” lived with us and mom was always good to her, giving her anything she could and making our home a comfortable place for all of us to flourish, grow and love. Mom gave me the best example of courage in a time of deep sadness, as I watched her nurse Granny into a peaceful and quiet transition from this earthly

life into the Lord’s loving hands.

And mom loved her friends almost as much as her family. Whether opening our home to flood-victims Mary Kent and her family, or being an ear for her friends and co-workers, to guiding her friend’s children and offspring as “another mom” to them, mom loved everyone and ALWAYS wanted to help them if she could.

Finally, mom was instrumental in bringing several people, whether my friends or hers, personal or coworkers, into or back into a strong Faith in Christ. Being taught by the Ursuline Nuns in San Antonio, she learned to love the Lord deeply and with true devotion. Later in early-adult life, when she strayed a bit, as many people tend to do, it was her nursing-school “sister” Mary Kent who led her back to the

Lord’s house. Once there, her fervor and love for God swelled and she wanted everyone to experience the same joy. She would pursue people with a zeal and love that knew no bounds. She would do anything to help them understand the Christian faith and embrace it, honestly believing that you were MUCH BETTER OFF in this world believing in, and leaning on Jesus Christ, then you could possibly be without Him. Her faith was strong, resolute and unwavering. Her example, her witness, of how to love God and others through Him, was the finest example that I could have ever had. My Faith in Christ was and is still, her greatest gift to me.

She will be missed, and is loved, cherished and appreciated now and will be forever. Her strength and example of how to live a good, moral, content Christian life will be her greatest legacy. She could have written a book on how to be a fantastic, loving, wonderful Christian mother, not only to her own son, but to everyone around her, and it would have been a Best Seller.

She had many titles throughout her life – student, RN, Head Nurse, Home Health Nurse, wife, daughter, friend, colleague, leader, teacher, homeowner, pet-lover, Astros-nut, game-show lover, care-taker and more – but the title she loved the most, spoken only by me and now sadly to be spoken no more, was simply...Mom

I love you Mom!

Visitation will be held at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home, 4525 Bissonnet St, Bellaire, Texas 77401, on November 5, 2026, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, with a Rosary Service at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home, 4525 Bissonnet St, Bellaire, Texas 77401, on November 5, 2026, at 6:00 pm.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church, 6800 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX 77025, US, on November 6, 2026, at 10:00 am, followed by the Rite of Committal at Forest Park Westheimer Cemetery, 12800 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77077, US, on November 6, 2026.