Mary Rothwell

Mary was born in the middle of World War II on December 12, 1943 in San Juan, Texas and died on May 23, 2017 in Austin, Texas at the age of 73. Her father, Baldemar Cano Sr. was in the Pacific with the U.S. Army in the 1st Cavalry Division and did not see his daughter until he returned in late 1945. He was one of the few survivors of the recruits who had enlisted from the Rio Grande Valley. She was a child musical prodigy singing with Big Bands and on radio and television as early as nine years of age. Her mother, Maria Sanchez Cano made all her performing dresses, hats and accessories. She was a contestant in the first Miss Teenage America pageant in 1961 as Miss Rio Grande Valley and was also chosen as Miss Texas National Guard. She graduated from PSJA High School in Pharr, Texas and then received a Bachelor of Music degree from Texas A & I University in Kingsville in 1967. She was All-State in voice all four years during High School. After college she sang in a USO tour to our troops in Asia and in the summer of 1968 she sang with a Lutheran singing group, the Gospel Crusaders in a tour of the United States. When she rededicated her life to the Lord in 1968, the greatest desire of her life was to find a Christian husband. While a music school teacher in San Antonio she met Captain Daniel M. Rothwell, US Army at Ft. Sam Houston on September 15, 1970. They were married on February 6, 1971 and soon separated as he was sent to Vietnam. After returning to an army assignment at the Presidio of San Francisco in 1972, they spent thirty years in California and sixteen years in Oregon before finally returning to Texas on January 11, 2017. Their marriage extended 47 years.

She was a loving wife and mother of two, had a full teaching career spanning all or parts of four decades, in Texas and California, as music teacher, bilingual resource teacher, migrant resource teacher, school principal and finally director of early childhood education centers, primarily in Oakland, California. She received a Masters of Church Music in 1976. Her music ministry never ended as she formed and directed children's choirs, sang in church choirs and as a soloist, and in two masterwork choirs in Eugene, Oregon: the Eugene Concert Choir, singing in Carnegie Hall in 2012 and Italy in 2015 and the Eugene Symphony Chorus.

She was active in church work and mission trips especially to Mexico and Central America as she was perfectly fluent in Spanish and English. She co-founded a Hispanic ministry at First Presbyterian Church of San Mateo and also served as an elder. The Rothwells have served in Presbyterian churches in California, Oregon, and Texas. She had no enemies and was beloved by all she met.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Baldemar Sr. and Maria de Jesus Cano. She is survived by her husband, Daniel M. Rothwell; her daughter Gracia Laureen Rothwell; her son Ryan Wade Rothwell and his wife Maria Corazon Rothwell; her brother Baldemar Cano Jr. and sister-in-law Belia Cano; her sisters Beatrice Solis and husband Carlos, Cristella Cano, and Annelle Cabrera and husband Rafael; nieces: Iris MacInnes and her husband John, Esther and Daisy Cabrera and Christina Michelle MacInnes; nephews: Baldemar Cano III (Buddy), Carlos E. Solis, Jr. and wife Sandra, Paul Cano and wife Jaclynn, Gabriel Cano and wife Megan; grandnieces: Melody Bella Cano and Lily Rose Cano; grandnephews: John Phillip MacInnes, II and Carlos E. Solis, III.

She will be buried on May 31st at Ft. Sam Houston Cemetery in San Antonio officiated by the Dr. Robert Pitman with a memorial service at Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church on June 1st officiated by Dr. Leon Bloder.