Funeral services for Mary Lorene (DeLana) Moses, a longtime resident of Conroe, Texas, will be held in Cashner Colonial Chapel, 801 Teas Road, Conroe, Texas 77303. Visitation will be held Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 9:00 a.m., and services immediately following at 10:00 a.m., with Rev. Don Mize officiating. Burial will follow in Garden Park Cemetery. Mary Moses passed away Friday, December 11, 2020. She was born May 11, 1923, in McAlester, Oklahoma, Pittsburgh County, to Marion Lee DeLana and Marvie (Stone) DeLana, both preceding her in death. Mary was also preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, Robert John “Bob” Moses.
Mrs. Moses loved to read, to work crossword puzzles, and to piece and quilt by hand. She was proud to contribute to three community services in the late 1950s through the early 1970s. She and a handful of other Conroe residents introduced the American Cancer Society to the area while she served as publicity chairman. The little group started from nothing, and rose to a prominent role in the community. In November 1969 she served as coordinator of the volunteers who came to the just-opened “Jack and Jill School” in a building loaned by the First Baptist Church. Volunteers were plentiful and it soon prospered, giving much help to many families. Years later the school moved to a new location and later became Bridgewood Farms. Mary was also privileged to name the “Friendship Center” in Conroe when it was formed in 1973, and she was pleased that as new centers opened in the county, they each kept the name.
After leaving the public workforce, Mary opened her home day-care center in 1973, and the second child who enrolled (a girl) gave her the affectionate name “Neenie,” also tagging her husband as “J.J.” Mary and Bob Moses soon became known by children, their parents, friends, and many others in the area by the now-familiar pet names. When Bob retired from Kroger in 1985 and became her partner, the business took the name Neenie and J.J.’s Day Care. To fulfill legal requirements for the business, Mary earned her GED certificate in October 1986 at age 63. When they closed the day care in 1993, they counted nearly one hundred children, including multiple siblings, as well as the children’s relatives and little friends who came through the doors during the nearly twenty years of operation. Neenie and J.J. loved every one of them. All of those children, some less than one year old when they came, are now responsible adults, and many have children of their own. Neenie and J.J.’s “kids” left them with many wonderful memories, as can be attested by the pictures taken by J. J. and placed in Mary’s many photo albums. The children’s parents were generous and caring of her, and Mary cherished them also.
Mary is survived by one daughter, Beverly (Moses) Mize and husband Don of Crockett; two sons, Ellis W. Moses and wife Diann and Leslie M. Moses and wife Jennifer all of Conroe. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Kristie (Moses) Dennis and husband Matt of Austin; Dr. Britt Mize and wife Dr. Nandra Perry of College Station; Monica (Moses) Bagwell and husband James of Conroe; Amanda Moses of Houston; and also by godson Nicholas L. (Nick) Walker and wife Lindsey of Conroe. She is also survived by seven great-grandchildren: Peyton, Lucy, and Lily Dennis of Austin; Cade and Izabella Bagwell of Conroe; Ruby Perry-Mize of College Station; and Madeline (Bagwell) Hogle and husband Sam with Mary’s one great-great granddaughter Adaline Hogle all of Conroe. Mary has one step-granddaughter Shelby and husband Dillon Jenkins and their four children, Brynley, Bice, Brax and Brody Jenkins, of Conroe. Many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends also survive.
Preceded in death by two sisters: Myrtle (DeLana) Barnett and Marva (DeLana) Davis; five brothers: John K., Mark E., George E., Walter O., and Robert A. DeLana.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, P. O. Box 1890, Amarillo, TX 79105-9985 or a charity of your choice.
