Mary Roese Martin lived a full and rich life surrounded by family and friends, and in her last years often spoke of her long and satisfying life. Mary passed away on November 12, 2015 at the age of 95, and she lived contently at home until the last week or two of her life.
Born June 25, 1920 in Washington on the Brazos, Texas to Julius and Amelia Roese, Mary was the youngest of six children and remained close to her many nieces and nephews and their children throughout her life. Mary graduated with a teaching certificate in the early 1940's from Texas Women's College (which became TWU) in Denton, Texas.
Rare in that era, Mary moved across Texas to Cotulla, where she accepted a job as an English teacher at Cotulla High School. Soon after arriving in Cotulla, she met Joseph Walker (J.W.) Martin, Jr. at a high school dance. They married July 16, 1947, moving initially to a ranch outside of Cotulla. Several years later they built a very comfortable ranch house on a hill above his family's ranch.
In the early years life at the ranch was tough, without reliable electricity and no telephone service. She always warmly welcomed the many visitors at the ranch, greeting them with hot coffee, hearty meals and great conversation. She and J.W. had a strong bond and built a life filled with family, shared hard work and a deep companionship.
After her husband passed away in the early 1980's, Mary initially lived at the ranch, then slowly transitioned to living in Cotulla, at first splitting her time between the ranch and Cotulla, and slowly making Cotulla her full-time residence. She and her close women friends often traveled together and frequently visited San Antonio to see live musical performances.
Her home was filled with memories of the ranch and her travels with J.W, and in later years she often referenced their lives at the ranch and also in Indiana and New Orleans.
She had several very close friendships in Cotulla, and was very close to members of the Martin family she married into and also her own family. She also felt connected to her church community. Mary will be fondly remembered by the many people whose lives she touched.
The funeral will be at the Presbyterian Church of Cotulla on Tuesday, November 17 at 2 pm. There will be a visitation at the funeral home on Monday, November 16 from 6 to 8 pm. The burial will be at Cotulla Cemetery. Pallbearers are Arnold (Bubba) Roese, Don Wayne Roese, Henry Joe Roese, Robbie Roese, Marion Busa, and Tracy Wellmann. Honorary Pallbearers are Tommy Martin, Mark Martin, Roy Martin, William Pete Wellmann, Bernard (Berny) Roese, and John Neal Roese.
Mary requested that her friends and family donate to charities she supported in lieu of sending flowers to the funeral. Charities important to Mary included a fully endowed fund she established at the Laredo Area Community Foundation for TWU scholarships for Cotulla high school students (Laredo Area Community Foundation, PO Box 450223, Laredo, Texas 78045). Her other favorite charities include the Alexander Memorial Library in Cotulla, the LaSalle County Historical Society and Museum, Habitat for Humanity, Paralyzed Veterans, Red Cross, Salvation Army and all Christian Churches.