Grace Ezal Rollins

The definition of “Grace” in the dictionary is “unmerited divine assistance.” It was the name that Jess and Laura Chism chose for their daughter, Grace Ezal Rollins, who was born on April 5, 1920, just outside the small town of Danville, Arkansas. Times were tough, but the Chism family was tougher, and so Grace learned to survive through faith and hard work. She moved from Arkansas to California, Germany, Louisiana, New Jersey, and finally, to San Antonio, Texas, where she passed away peacefully in her home on December 21, 2019.

In her 99 years on this earth, Grace lived up to the name. Time after time, she provided unmerited assistance to each of her family members. She bought houses for her 7 children, and even some of her grandchildren. She loved them, supported them, and took them on vacations. If they were lost, she made sure they were found – not because they deserved it, but because they were her family.

In short Grace was amazing, but she also did her it way. At 16, she was tired of Arkansas and homemade potato-sack dresses, so she ran away from home and hitchhiked across the country – not once, but twice. She was also twice divorced, and four-times married. In a time when women faced open hostility in the workplace, she achieved massive success in business across multiple industries. She owned three restaurants, a vineyard, a real estate brokerage, an insurance brokerage, and several rental properties. To accomplish such feats today would require extensive schooling, business acumen, and grit. Grace did it with natural brilliance and an iron will. Indeed, in the business world, it was Grace that taught some hearts to fear.

At the end of the day, she did it all for the love of her family. Grace visited 31 countries over the course of her life, but each time she took family with her. She never bought a fancy house and she drove her Cadillacs until the wheels fell off. She saved napkins from restaurants, reused Ziploc bags, and recycled food containers as Tupperware. She took only what she needed from this world and gave the rest away.

Grace is survived by her sister, Rose Stevenson, her brother, Bill Chism, her daughter, Carol Roemer, her sons, Kenneth Mouille and Robert Rollins, as well as 12 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. She will be dearly missed and not soon forgotten.

The Visitation will begin at 10 a.m. with the Service to follow at 10:30 A.M. on January 2, 2020, at Sunset Funeral Home. Burial will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at 1 P.M. A celebration of Grace’s life will then be held at 3 P.M. at her old restaurant, Fancy That Tea Room, 18770 FM 2252, San Antonio, Texas 78266.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition at http://ovarian.org/.