Marie was born in a time when double names were in fashion. Her mom and dad, Gwen and Olan, creatively named her a derivative of her dad’s name and the polished international name “Marie”. Her birth year 1933 was a time of a gathering storm internationally and hard work domestically to recover from the Great Depression. Born in Plains, Texas, she had her childhood on their family ranch in Denver City, West Texas. Like her name, she was mixed in her sentiments about ranch life. Though she loved her parents and her two older brothers, Robert “Rah” and Bill “Billy Fred”, and was truly doted on by all in the family as their baby girl, riding horses and herding cattle was not Marie’s idea of a desired future.
Rah and Billy Fred would serve in the armed forces while Marie thrived at Denver City High School and was a twirler in the high school band, a majorette. “Majorette” is descriptive as Marie’s skills and gifts would express themselves later in life in administrating, decorating, designing, and curating. Her parents were strict Baptists so when Marie met a 23-year-old man who had served in the armed forces and was working for Shell Petroleum in their town, at the young age of 15, her parents and the community were not pleased. Over time, the entire family would embrace this handsome and hard-working B. W. “Bill” Adams and his enchantment with this petite cowgirl, but not the Baptists. This began Marie and Bill’s lifelong commitment to the Methodist denomination.
At 19, after a year at Texas Tech, Marie returned to Denver City to work at the bank where her dad was on the board and speed up her marriage to Bill on April 12, 1952. Immediately swept up and into Bill’s career trajectory with Shell, they built their first custom home and launched their mutual careers in Midland, Texas. Marie was a sharp administrator and during these years made more money than Bill as an executive assistant at Humble Oil. With her precious dog Sandy, Bill’s gift and the first of her many beloved pets, they built another home in Midland while waiting 7 years for the pregnancy they so desired. All at once things changed, they were pregnant and moving so Bill could ascend the corporate ladder with Shell at their head office in New York City. They would relocate from Midland to New York, then again from Connecticut to Houston, and back to New York one last time in 1965, then back to Houston and Lake Conroe for the rest of their lives.
Marie had two children, Lisa, and Kyle, 1957 and 1960, while Bill prospered in his career at Shell, always using their cross country moves to see much of the east coast with the family. Marie stayed home parenting and managing the households, which she did ably and well. Every home Bill and Marie ever owned became a showplace on their frugal budgets. Marie worked alongside Bill in his many hobbies - home improvement, gardening, boating and water skiing, furniture building, and was an executive wife who entertained yearly the Shell crowd and participated in all the Shell social events with her family. Marie would be the listening ear for Bill’s entire career needs and issues at Shell Oil. She also learned to slalom ski at 40!
Marie listened. That was one of her gifts. She was soft spoken and petite, yet she had a powerful will, and a will to live and to do so independently and the way she thought best. These qualities would serve her well and cause her longevity and vitality despite many physical setbacks and infirmities. After a too brief but whirlwind retirement from Shell, Bill and Marie were active in philanthropy and travelled around the world. Bill preceded Marie in death by 20 years, so the last 20 years took on a life of its’ own.
Memorial Drive Methodist Church became mom’s resumed church family when she moved back to Houston from their lake home on Lake Conroe after Bill’s death. It is there that the first of many of Marie’s grace gifts were given. She met Marian Barnes there in 2006. Marian would become a companion - traveling together, enjoying his large family, checking in daily on one another, living in the same retirement community, and navigating elderhood together. God’s grace gifts include these: Rah, Marie’s oldest brother, lived for a short time in Houston close to Marie, Marie was aided by innovative pain management, Marie walked and lived independently every day of her life while living with a degenerative spinal issue, Marian’s large family provided entertainment and community, and Lisa and Kyle and her grandchildren enjoyed the best years of loving Marie and knowing her at a deeper level. It would be a very long list of all the evidence of God’s grace around Marie’s life in her last 20 years.
Marie is survived by her children, Lisa Hartman and Kyle Adams, and their families, Al Hartman, Nelda Adams, and their children. Gigi to her grandchildren, each was so special to her, in order of age, Margaret Hartman, her first and beloved granddaughter, Victoria Hartman Massey and her spouse Mason, another beloved granddaughter and the first married, Isaac Adams, a first and only treasured grandson, Charlotte Hartman, another precious granddaughter “punkin” as they called her, and lovely Leslie Adams, her last and dear granddaughter. Marie will be missed. Though she had to be reminded sometimes, she walked with Jesus, so we know she is with Him now.
Malachi 4.2 But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about likes calves from the stall.
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