Marie Anna Houghton

Jesus on January 21, 2023.

Marie Anna Houghton (nee Grimm) was born in Ancon, Panama, part of the U.S. Panama

Canal Zone, on Aug. 14, 1927 and grew up in the Canal Zone with her parents and 3 siblings on

the grounds of the hospital where her father worked. With their home being right next to the U.S.

cavalry post, Marie developed a lifelong love of horses. For a time, she was even successful at

convincing those who dressed the horses for riding to believe that her father was an officer, so

that they would saddle horses up for young Marie to ride. She enjoyed an idyllic life growing up

in the tropics and swimming in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, taking long drives on

Sunday afternoons, and picnicking. She spoke fondly of life in Panama as well as the summer

transatlantic ship voyages that took her family to the U.S. every 2-3 years. On those trips, they

would dock in NYC, then travel by train and car to her relatives' farm in Michigan, staying and

living on the farm for weeks, before heading to Milwaukee to visit other relatives and finally

going back to Panama in time for a new school year to begin.

Marie developed a passion for the violin that started as a youngster after hearing her father play,

and that passion was lifelong. When she begged her mother to take violin lessons, her mother

insisted she first take piano lessons, which she begrudgingly did. When she was finally allowed

to learn the violin at age 11, she never looked back and in fact went on to major in music. When

asked in later years if her mother ever had to remind her to practice, she replied, “Never”.

As a teenager living in the Panama Canal Zone during WWII, Marie spoke of USO dances and

all of the handsome young military men at the army post they lived next to. She also spoke of

mandatory blackouts while they waited to see if the Panama Canal would be the next target

after Pearl Harbor was bombed. Thankfully it wasn’t.

At age 18, Marie left Panama to attend college at Oberlin College in Toledo, Ohio where she

earned her Bachelors in Music. She realized then it was a good thing her mother had forced her

to first learn piano as it was required of all music majors. During her summers while in college,

she would travel to Chautauqua, NY to take violin lessons with renowned concertmaster Mischa

Mischakoff whose string quartet members were the resident summer string performers. Marie

was able to afford lessons from this master by waitressing at a local resort restaurant.

Marie had a love of travel that was encouraged by her parents. As a music teacher in Toledo

and later Milwaukee, she took time to make multiple trips to Europe. She later moved to

Galveston, TX where she met Norman Houghton, whom she would later marry. During their

almost 53-year marriage, they had 5 children, three born in the Galveston area and the last two

in Austin, TX. They also had 7 grandchildren.

Marie’s faith was important to her, and she was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church for

over 50 years until her death. Her love of music, particularly violin, never left her. In Austin, she

was a longstanding member of the Wednesday Morning Music Club, Sacred Heart Choir, Austin

Civic Orchestra, and Silver Strings.

Marie enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom, painting, and teaching private violin and piano

lessons while her kids were younger. Once the kids got older, she took positions working as a

secretary for the Austin Area Conference of Churches, for the City of Austin Financial Services,

and finally for the Austin Public Library, from which she retired.

Marie and Norman took their 5 children to numerous state and national parks, traveling by RV

and camping around the country. They made sure the family experienced the outdoors, KOA

campgrounds, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, and campfires. They were also both avid

hunters, another passion they passed on.

Marie was predeceased by her husband, Norman Warner Houghton, granddaughter, Jessica

Marie Starnes, and siblings Donald (Margo) Grimm, Thomas (Evie) Grimm, and Theresa

(Norman) Steinacker. She leaves behind her children, David Houghton, Randal (Sharon)

Houghton, Barbara (Jim) Beggs, Steven Houghton, and Janet Starnes. Surviving grandchildren

are Christine Starnes, Samuel (Mallory) Houghton, Daniel Houghton, Christin Houghton, Rachel

Beggs, and Jenna Marie Beggs. Surviving great grandchildren are Gigi Starnes and Delmar

Starnes.

Funeral Services will be held at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Austin on Saturday, Feb. 4,

2023 at 1 PM. The family will receive visitors Friday, Feb. 3, from 2-4 PM at the Sacred Heart

Catholic Church cafeteria.

Flowers may be sent in Marie’s name to:

Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home

1200 S. Baghdad Rd.

Leander, TX 78641