Marie Thomas True, a longtime resident of Houston, Texas died peacefully in her sleep during the afternoon of April 21, 2021 at the age of 98 when her precious heart finally just grew tired. She was born on November 26, 1922 in Wallis, Texas, the seventh child of William Lockett Thomas and Ida Mae Weyand. Mrs. True was a 1939 graduate of Wallis High School and attended Texas Women’s University, in Denton, Texas, receiving a B.S. in Education in 1942 after only 3 ½ years. She taught first grade in Olney, Texas and later in East Bernard, Texas after the United States entered WWII. After the war, Mrs. True accepted a teaching position in Victoria, Texas where she was introduced to her future husband, the late Harry W. True, who was employed by Schlumberger. They were married in Wallis, Texas at her parents’ home in October of 1946 and began their married life in Alice, Texas, and eventually moved to San Antonio where they bought their first home -“a real GI home,”- and where they had their first child, Harry Jr. Future company transfers included Jackson, Mississippi, New Orleans, Louisiana and finally Tulsa, Oklahoma where they welcomed their second child, Gayle Lucille. Mr. and Mrs. True were then relocated overseas and lived three years in Hannover, Germany and another three years in Tripoli, Libya before returning to the United States, to Houston, Texas, in 1963. Mr. True passed away in September of 1991 and Mrs. True continued to reside in Houston, missing her beloved husband to her last day.
What could be possibly said about our precious mother other than that she was just the epitome of elegance, style, beauty, and sheer refinement. Those things aside, there was always just something extra special about her that seemed to set her apart from others… she just exuded so much class! There was never a person that didn’t stop to comment on how distinctly elegant and beautiful she was with her perfectly coifed hair…even in her last years. She possessed strong inner strength and great character which carried her through the difficult years after her husband’s untimely death. Her motto in life was to… “Live life to the fullest possible and engage in all things that help you have more class. Study. Read. Listen.” She was a dedicated student of the financial markets and could tell the best broker what a particular stock was selling for on any given day. The writing that most affected her life was titled, “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” by Baltasar Gracian.
Our mother was a person of a great many talents and interests but above all, she loved her home, her husband and her two children. She often said that there was no school for being a good parent but somehow she managed to instill love, respect and decency in her two children. She was our beloved mother. She was an avid gardener, a marvelous cook who adored seafood, an accomplished seamstress, and a most gracious hostess. In her earlier years, she enjoyed knitting, needlepoint, gold leafing, and was a wonderful artist who furnished her home with many of her own oil paintings. She had a keen eye for all types of art, appreciating impressionist art as well as modern art, had a love of antiques and collectibles, enjoyed the framing of artwork and had great taste in decorating her home. She loved food, music and was a great dancer, especially to the Big Band music of the 40s and of course had a special love for “Dino” Martin and “Old Frankie” Sinatra. She claimed that she had “danced a million miles” in her younger years. She collected beautiful paperweights, enjoyed art books and informative magazines, loved cashmere sweaters, and took great pleasure in a good bottle of “Coco” Chanel Parfum… and let’s not forget her favorite, an ice cold Coca-Cola.
Her affiliations included memberships in the Houston Alexander Love Chapter of the DAR, the Houston Robert E. Lee Chapter of the UDC, and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. Past affiliations included The Houston Textile and Oriental Rug Society, The Wellington Society for the Arts, and various neighborhood women’s clubs. In the earlier years of her life, she participated in various wives clubs and auxiliaries related to the petroleum industry. She was a member of the Memorial Drive Methodist Church but seemed to return back to her Baptist roots in later years, attending Bible Studies at Tallowood Baptist Church with her good friend and neighbor until her health prevented her from doing so.
Mrs. True is survived by one son, Harry W. True, Jr. and his wife Cathy of Addison, Texas and one daughter, Gayle True Marcott of Vacaville, California. Mrs. True was blessed with two grandchildren, Leslie Marie Carlson and Colleen Victoria Murray both of Dallas, Texas and four great-grandchildren. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the several exceptional nurses and nursing assistants who went the extra mile and opened their hearts to our mother during her longtime stay at the Plaza at the Buckingham. We would also like to extend our deepest appreciation to our private caretaker, Mrs. Eneida Carolina Estrada, who was so devoted to our mother and could only be described as our gift from God.
Dearest Mother, We will love you and miss you until the end of time. Rest peacefully in God’s hands…Until we meet again.
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