Mary L. Coburn

Mary Ruth Lamb Coburn, known to her family as Meme, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, at age 90 passed gently into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on December 23, 2017 in Houston Texas.

Mary was born in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas, on August 13, 1927 and was the youngest of five children born to Mary Alma Johnson Lamb and Charles Edwin Lamb. As a young girl she loved to play outside and taught swimming in Lake Cliff Park at 12 years old. She graduated from Crozier Tech High School. She later studied business at Houston Community College.

She worked in portrait photography and had her own dark room, then worked in the travel and airline industry, and later in residential real estate.

She met her beloved husband, Arthur Coburn II, in Dallas, and they married at Tyler St. United Methodist Church on January 14, 1954. Arthur’s job took them to Houston where their first child Leslie was born, and later to New Orleans where their second and third children Lauri and Arthur III were born. They celebrated 45 years of a very happy marriage together. The couple loved to spend weekends at their beach house in Galveston. Mary thoroughly enjoyed traveling with her husband across the U.S. and Europe. She also loved oil painting, photography, gardening, swimming, and boating trips with her family on Texas lakes.

Mary was actively involved in volunteering with Blue Birds, Cub Scouts, and PTA at Bunker Hill Elementary School. She served as a Sunday school teacher at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas and at St. Francis Episcopal Church in Houston. She worked with the Blanket Ladies group at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church where she helped sew hundreds of baby blankets for needy newborns.

Just like her own mother, Mary enjoyed being active in politics, and she served as precinct chairman in the Bunker Hill Village for many years. She volunteered for both major political parties at different times, and encouraged everyone to actively participate and vote.

The phrases that best describe Mary’s approach to life are, “Serve actively” and “Get out there and do it!”

Mary was preceded in death by her husband Arthur Coburn II, her parents and her four siblings; Charles, Luther, Rebecca, and Martha.

Mary was dearly loved and will be missed by her three children, Leslie Coburn Fox and husband James Fox, Lauri Coburn Williamson and husband Matt Williamson, and Arthur Coburn III and wife Yaquelyn Mejia, her eleven grandchildren, Arthur Coburn IV, Thomas Coburn and wife Janelle Coburn, Chase Coburn, Ross Coburn, Eric Coburn, Kyle Coburn, Corbin Williamson and wife Ashley Williamson, Heather Lane and husband Trevor Lane, Travis Williamson, John Fox, Sally Fox McLeod and husband Grant McLeod, and three great-grandchildren.

Mary’s memorial service will be held at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church on Friday, December 29th at 2.30 p.m. in the chapel, Rev. Martian Bastian officiating. Immediately following family and friends are invited to attend a reception in the parlor.

Her children and grandchildren will always remember her for putting her family first and living her life with passion and a wonderful sense of humor.