Mattie F. Herrin

Mattie was born February 17, 1921 to Elva Lorean (Parr) and Claude Card Calvert Sr. in the small community known as Pilot Knob, Denton County, Texas. Mattie passed away on March 21, 2017 in Plano, Texas after a short illness. She was the oldest of six children (Mattie, Claude Jr., Billie, Shelton, Dorthy and Charles).

Mattie grew up on several farms in Denton and Wise counties. She often reminisced about how she was tasked with performing many of the typical farm chores like milking cows, feeding the farm animals, tending to and harvesting the garden and crops, etc. She especially has fond stories of riding her pony “Tony” to school with her cousins. Her family eventually bought a farm outside of Rhome, Texas of which became the family’s homestead. Mattie graduated from Rhome High School in May 1938. After high school she moved to Fort Worth and worked at the Dickies clothing manufacturing plant and attended a business school.

Her future husband, (William) Cullen Herrin, started Rhome High School in January 1938. From Mattie’s memoirs, “We girls in the senior class were excited that a new boy had started to school. Of course, all the girls wanted to date him. When he and I started dating, all the other girls were jealous.” They dated for four years and were married almost 71-years. Mattie and Cullen were together for 75-years!

Cullen entered the Army Air Corps in 1941. From Mattie’s memoirs, “I left Fort Worth, Texas on January 3, 1942 at 7:00 O'clock in the morning. There were several inches of snow on the ground. I took a taxi to the bus station and rode a bus to San Angelo, Texas where Cullen was stationed. The Bus arrived about 4:00 O'clock in the afternoon. Cullen was at the Bus Station waiting for me. Cullen had rented a bedroom with kitchen privilege from an elderly lady called Mother Bowen (517 E. 18th St.) in San Angelo. I changed clothes to a blue dress and hat and Cullen wore his uniform. We went to the Presbyterian Parsonage to be married by Rodney Gibson. After the wedding ceremony, we shopped at Safeway store to buy a few groceries for lunch on Sunday. We did not have a honeymoon since World War II had started on December 7, 1941.

Mattie and Cullen were stationed at Goodfellow AFB (San Angelo, Texas), Big Spring Air Field (Big Spring, Texas) and Chickasha, Oklahoma. While at Chickasha, their first son, Lyndal, was born April, 1945. Sergeant Herrin was discharged in October 1945 and Mattie and Cullen then moved to Dallas. Their second son, Donnie, was born March 1949. In 1959, Mattie and Cullen moved to Plano, Texas where they remained.

While Cullen worked at Kraft Foods in Garland, Texas for 33 years, Mattie was a housewife and worked at various businesses in Plano. She also worked at the City of Plano and Harrington Library. Mattie and Cullen owned and operated a small store in downtown Plano called “Herrin’s Variety Store” from 1960-1964. Mattie also served as an elections judge for about 20-years.

The Eastern Star was a major part of Mattie’s life. She was initiated in the Richardson Chapter No. 921 on February 23, 1953. She then transferred to the Plano Chapter 703 in May 1960. Mattie was Worthy Matron of the Chapter 1971-1972. She was then elected as Secretary of the Chapter in April 1973 where she served as Secretary from 1973 through May 2003. During those thirty years, she only missed about five meetings. She was honored on May 19, 2003 by receiving her fifty-year membership certificate and pin. She was still attending chapter meetings just short of her passing.

Throughout all her years, Mattie was an incredibly loving, caring and devoted wife, mother and grandmother. She cared for Cullen, Lyndal and Donnie’s every need. She never, ever neglected her family. She was the absolute greatest Grandma to all grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was adored by all.

As a skilled seamstress, Mattie made all Lyndal and Donnie’s childhood clothes. She was a marvelous cook and was renowned for her pecan pies and squash casserole. Every Christmas she gave pecan pies as presents to doctors, mail carriers, hair dressers, etc. Mattie was the ultimate skilled artisan in arts and crafts. She had a unique virtue of patience and perseverance. Mattie handmade (stitched, crocheted, knitted, needle point) everything from extremely detailed doilies to quilts to clothes. And then she began painting in the 1980s. She painted more than 125 beautiful, extremely detailed oil paintings over the next 15-years. Most paintings were of landscapes and animals. Mattie so enjoyed and loved her pets and animals in general. The Saturday morning animal shows were her favorite programs.

Although not able to attend church services in her later years, she was very deep in her faith, especially through her involvement with the Eastern Star chapters.

Mattie was preceded by her husband on November 21, 2012. She is survived by her children, Donnie of Plano, Texas and Lyndal and his wife Liz of Terrell, Texas. "Grandma" is also survived by three grandchildren Richard Herrin and Bryan Herrin of California and Dana Herrin and her fiancé Tyler Sweatman of Fort Worth, Texas. Of her siblings, she is survived by her sisters Billie Colvin of Fort Worth and Dorthy Coker of Rhome, Texas.

Mattie and Cullen were not interested in being wealthy in financial status but rather rich in their family, community, country and faith. They lived their own daily code of conduct that embraced ethics, morality, kindness, integrity, friendship, honesty and faith. And that's why "everyone" loved Mattie/Mom/Grandma. Mattie was the pillar of her family and community. She will be dearly missed.

Mattie and Cullen are now on their “forever honeymoon” they never had.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Collin County "Meals on Wheels" in her and Cullen’s name.

Meals on Wheels

600 North Tennessee Street

McKinney, TX 75069

https://mowcc.com/donate/