Mary Ann Dodds

Mary Ann was an only child, born to Russell and Erma Chamberlain on July 13, 1938, in Clay Center, Kansas. Mary Ann grew up in the nearby small town of Riley, Kansas, where she met her future husband, DeLoss Dodds, at age 5. Mary Ann attended Riley High School from 1953-1956, was a straight A student and cheerleader, and worked at the local drug store.

In 1956, Mary Ann attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. She was a Pi Beta Phi and worked for the president of the University. During her freshman year at K-State, Alfred Hitchcock, the famous movie director, selected Mary Ann to be the “Royal Purple Queen,” a designation reserved for the most beautiful girl on campus.

On August 18, 1957, Mary Ann married her childhood sweetheart, DeLoss, a track star at K-State. The two of them would have celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this August.

For more than 20 years, Mary Ann and DeLoss raised their three children, Doug, Deidre and Debra in Manhattan, Kansas, which will always hold a special place in the hearts of the Dodds family. During this time, DeLoss coached track and then became the athletics director at K-State. Mary Ann was the kind of mom who made lunch for her kids every day when they walked home from school and regularly baked homemade chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies as nighttime snacks. She also took on the role of the “mom” for the K-State track team. She was famous for her “track cake,” a delicious inimitable chocolate cake that she first made for the inaugural Super Bowl, on January 15th, 1967, and continued to make for years to come. Mary Ann’s cooking was always a welcomed comfort to her family, who cherished Sunday night dinners with her and DeLoss.

In 1981, when DeLoss became the athletics director at the University of Texas in Austin, Mary Ann and DeLoss moved their family to Texas. Mary Ann spent the next 33 years supporting her husband, caring for her family, cheering on the Longhorns, entertaining, and traveling to all different types of sporting events throughout the country. She created wonderful memories for her kids and grandkids, as she took them to Rose Bowl parades, an NCAA Final Four in basketball, numerous college football bowl games, the College Football Hall of Fame in New York, and of course many trips to the famous Red River Rivalry game in Dallas.

Above all, Mary Ann will be remembered as a loving and dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. She gave her life, heart, and soul to her family. She was the quiet and loving strength behind a strong man and the backbone of her family. She was also a loving daughter, aunt, and friend.

We will always remember her laugh, track cake, sarcastic wit, ability to make a house truly a home, timeless beauty, classy presence, and—mostly—the way she loved us.

She was predeceased by her parents, Russell and Erma Chamberlain. She is survived by her husband, DeLoss Dodds; her three children Doug Dodds (Veronica Ruiz-Dodds), Deidre Dodds-Bell (Bill Bell), and Debra Dodds; seven grandchildren Steffan Schmieding, Hailey Cobb, Will Dodds, Sommer Clawson, Emily Dodds, Alexis Gillis, and Allison Dodds; and two great grandchildren Bennett and Kathleen Schmieding. She is also survived by her sisters-in-law who were truly sisters to her, Pat, Myrna, Clare, Sondra.

A memorial service will be held at 2pm on Saturday, June 4th at Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home 5416 Parkcrest Dr., Austin.

In honor of Mary Ann and DeLoss’s commitment to education, the Longhorn Foundation created the Mary Ann & DeLoss Dodds Legacy Fund specifically to support former student-athletes seeking to return to The University of Texas at Austin to complete their undergraduate or post-graduate degrees. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a gift to the Mary Ann & DeLoss Dodds Legacy Fund. Gifts may be made by mail, phone, or online.

Mail: Make check payable to University of Texas at Austin and send to Longhorn Foundation, PO Box 7399, Austin, Texas 78713

Phone: 512-471-4439

Online: https://give.utexas.edu/?source+GIV