Mary Evelyn Brooks

would say that her parents, Ruby Anna, and Thomas Edwin Ingram, were lucky and

blessed that day. She married Joseph C. Carter in 1941, had two amazing daughters,

and adored him for 23 years before his death in 1962. In 1963, she married Virgil Rawls

and they were married 18 years. She then moved to Dallas in 1980 and met George C.

Brooks. They married in 1983 and were married for 5 years before his premature death

in 1988. George was a blessing to her and her family, and truly the love of her life. She

then met James Beona at the D.L. Hopkins Senior Center in Duncanville and they were

married in 1990. He brought her years of joy before his death in 2008.

She was preceded in death by her daughter Annie Sue Carter Hayes, son-in-law, Richard Loren Macy Sr., her sister Pauline Enge, her brother Byron Ingram, and grandson in-law, James Franklin Macy-Simpson.

She is survived by her daughter Ruby Elizabeth Macy, step-son, Rev. Michael Brooks,

grandchildren Richard L. Macy Jr, David Lewis Macy his wife Elizabeth, Joseph Samuel

Macy, his wife Karen, and Mary Frances Macy Gibbons her husband Matthew. She has

four great grandchildren Corey Thomas Norton, Austin Taylor Norton, Kathryn Elizabeth

Macy and Joseph Alan Macy.

She was highly active in her church, Saint Anne Episcopal in DeSoto, where she was a

charter member. She was also a charter member of Saint Matthew’s Episcopal which

later became Saint Anne Episcopal. She had served as president of the Order of the

Daughters of the King in her local chapter as well as a president in the Diocese of

Dallas. Mary and her late Husband George Brooks were very involved in the Episcopal

Cursillos, a series of Christian Renewal weekends, and was instrumental in establishing

the event for the Lutheran Church.

Mary studied forestry in high school and loved to garden. She loved plants, trees and

flowers of all kind and was quite skilled at identifying and caring for them. Mary was

honored a few years ago by the church with the creation of a serene flower garden at

Saint Anne Episcopal, which was lovingly named Mary’s Garden.

To keep herself busy she was always engaged in something at the Senior Center in

Duncanville where she was a fixture for over 40 years and touched so many lives. She

sang in their choir, The Goldenaires, for many years. She loved playing Canasta, but

her greatest love was ceramics. All of her grandchildren have more ceramics than they

will ever need and they cherish each piece as a priceless work of art. She even won

multiple awards for her ceramic masterpieces.

Mary served as a volunteer at a local elementary for many years, helping children who

were having problems keeping up with the class. She also loved to dress up, the fancier

the better, with loads of jewelry and hats. Her extensive collection of hats earned her

the title of ‘Hat Lady’ and it brought joy to everyone to see what amazing hat she was

going to walk in with that day.

She touched so many lives with her various ministries and interests. Her song and love

will forever echo among the field of flowers she planted in our hearts.