Mary Rae Reall Boswell

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, “I used everything you gave me.”- Erma Bombeck. Another favorite quote she admired of Bombeck: “My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance”.

Consider Mary Rae Boswell who entered eternal life on March 30th, 2016.

Her spirit is carried on by her devoted husband and five of their six children, eight grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and an extended family of friends from every walk of life.

Apart from her witty sense of humor, we were blessed to learn many valuable lessons from Mary Rae during her 76 years, among them: You could close your eyes and pray that someone will come back, or you can open your eyes and see all that they have left.

Mary Rae was born on April 12, 1939, and grew up in Roswell, New Mexico an only child of Mary Ann (Reilly) and Raymond Thomas Reall. She enjoyed singing, playing golf, horseback riding, swimming, painting, playing guitar, and fishing. Having lost her father at a very early age and surviving her own battle with lymphatic cancer at 15, Mary Rae was very fortunate to be surrounded by so many wonderful family friends and neighbors who cared for her, most especially Rosie and Ralph Brewer. She attended school just down the street from her home at St. Peter Catholic Church, went on to attend the University of Dallas and returned home to Roswell to pursue nursing school.

While taking night classes, she met her future husband- Ellsworth Radford George Boswell, of Prince Georges County, Maryland, who was stationed at Walker Air Force Base. They were married at St. Peter and shortly after, Mary Rae graduated from St. Mary’s Nurses training. Together, they celebrated 56 years of marriage raising a family of six children and shared their home in Midland for 44 years. Each being an only child, having a large family was something both she and Ellsworth had always wanted.

Throughout her lifetime, Mary Rae was involved in her children’s lives not only as “Mom” but as softball coach, PTA attendee, nurse, choir and band booster, and as “cheerleader” at countless sporting events. She had a wonderful sense of humor and a gift for telling stories. With most of her children raised, she went back to work and managed Wild River Canyon waterpark, owned a consignment store, and furthered her education working for the Permian Basin Counsel on Drug Abuse where she became a counselor. You may read this and recall a conversation with her that touched your heart, tickled your funny bone, or maybe made you laugh out loud.

Along with her husband, Mary Rae is survived by her children and adored grandchildren and great grandchildren: daughter Annette (husband Nelson Hall of Cocoa Beach, Florida- their children Aaron McFall of Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland and wife Jana- sons Logan and William; Kady, and Nelson III); son Tom of Boerne, Texas (partner Brent Ault); son Mike of Midland, Texas; son John (wife Leslie of Midland, Texas, their children Aiden and Norah); daughter Susie of Comfort, Texas; and grandsons Michael (wife Amy- son Carter), Thomas, and Jonathon of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and is predeceased by her oldest son, Stan Boswell.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Midland on Monday, April 4th, at 10:30am with visitation and reception directly following. Graveside burial will take place Tuesday, April 5th, at South Park

Cemetery in Roswell, New Mexico at 1pm (MST).

The Boswell family wishes to convey their gratitude to the nursing staff at Desert Gardens, Alicia Aranda with Comfort Keepers, Meals On Wheels and St. Ann’s Church. We also extend our heartfelt appreciation to the compassionate caregivers at Hospice Midland – Kellie, Maria, Anna, and Chaplain Robert.

In Mary Rae’s memory, donations may be made to Hospice Midland, PO Box 2621,79702, or to the Poor Clares Monastery in Roswell, New Mexico, 809 E. 19th Street, Roswell, New Mexico 88201.

Online condolences may be offered at www.ellisfunerals.com