She was born on July 28, 1929 in The Highlands, Texas, to Myrtle and Claude Hendricks. Louis and Marie celebrated 72 years of marriage before his death in 2016.
Marie's early life in Tomball, Texas was enriched by her parents, her sister, best friend, Dorothy "Dottie" and brother Bill West. She attended Tomball schools.
Marie and Louis met when she was 15 and he was 20, call it "Love at first sight"! They married at 16 and 21 in 1945 when Louis was on a weekend leave from the Army. He borrowed a friend's car and they shared a gourmet dinner of burgers and fries at the Princess Dive-In following their ceremony in Houston, Texas.
Marrying into a large Lebanese family, Marie lived a long life with her family and Louis' family being the center of her existence. Introducing her sister Dottie to Louis' brother, William, whom later married, the intertwining of both families was unique and special. Family get together were frequent with card games, bowling and cousins playing together in this large close-knit group.
Marie and Louis welcomed two children, Donna (John Laufman) and Louis III "Skip" (Vicki) and she devoted her life to raising them in Houston while Louis was frequently "on the road" as a produce trucker. Blessed with an abundant family, Marie and Louis had 7 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild.
After Louis' retirement and moving to Lakeland, Texas, they loved hosting family barbeques with numerous outdoor games of volleyball and swimming. They also enjoyed traveling with destinations often ending at a casino...."slots" being her game.
She was an active volunteer at St. Phillips Episcopal Church and served on the Board of Directors of the Lakeland HOA. Quite the "green-thumb", she loved working in her yard and greenhouse as well as enjoyed reading and her "scratch-offs".
To celebrate her life a funeral service for Marie will be held Friday, November 19, 2021 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm at Forest Park The Woodlands Funeral Home, 18000 Interstate 45 S, The Woodlands, TX 77384. A reception will follow a brief graveside service.
In lieu of flowers, Marie's family is requesting memorials to be made to the Houston Food Bank: https://mobilecause.com/vf/Inmemory/MarieKaleel.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.forestparkthewoodlands.com for the Kaleel family.
