Mary Lu Shaw
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Mary Lu Shaw, 94, of Odessa, passed away on Friday, January 29, 2021, at The Courtyards Assisted Living and Memory Care residential facility in Odessa.
Mary Lu was born in Brownsville, Tennessee on May 28, 1926, to Earl and Sara Hamlett. She moved a lot growing up, living in Brownsville, TN; Paris, TN; Nashville and Memphis, TN. She moved to Amarillo, Texas in 1940 and graduated from Amarillo High School in 1944. She married Billy Nib Shaw on June 19, 1948 in Abilene, Texas.
Mary Lu graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1947 with a BA in English. After graduating, she taught at Rosemont Elementary in Dallas and continued teaching after she married, while her husband attended Baylor College of Dentistry. She and her husband moved to Odessa in 1951 where he practiced dentistry for 35 years. Since she had moved so much when she was young, mother wanted to settle somewhere and stay there, which she did. She loved Odessa and enjoyed seeing it develop from a small town to a city. She was proud to be an Odessan.
Mary Lu loved her family and treasured watching her children and grandsons grow up. She was a Girl Scout troop leader, Boy Scout den mother, Bonham Junior High & Permian High Band Booster and was honored as a life member of the PTA. She taught her grandsons to ride their bikes and how to cook. She always attended the grandsons' band, choir and orchestra concerts and supported them in whatever they did. She appreciated the ECISD school system, Odessa College and UTPB for the education they provided her family.
Mary Lu was a member of the First United Methodist Church for over 69 years and a long-time member of the Wesley Class. She was an active member of the United Methodist Women. Mother loved her church and worked tirelessly for it. She taught Sunday school, vacation church school, visited shut-ins and hospitalized church members, prepared and served meals for funerals, and was president of the Wesley-Couples Class for many years.
She was preceded in death by an infant son; her parents; her husband of 57 years; her son, Earl Shaw; her sister and brother-in-law, Joanne and Joe Lowrey; her husband's sister and brother-in-law Martha and Eddie Cornelius; and her husband's brother and sister-in-law John and Betsy Shaw.
She is survived by her daughter, Ruth Ann McQuitty of Odessa; her son, Billy Shaw and husband Jimmy Hill of Garner, North Carolina; and daughter-in-law, Brenda Shaw of Odessa; grandsons, Mike McQuitty and wife Cassie of Keller, Texas; David McQuitty and wife Tyffani of Odessa, and Jeremy Shaw of Odessa; great-granddaughters, Madie and Marlie McQuitty of Keller, Texas and great-grandsons, Tommy Franklin and William Smyers of Odessa; several nieces and nephews; and many friends.
Visitation will be Sunday, February 7, from 2:00-5:00 at the Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home chapel. A graveside service will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, February 8, 2021, at Sunset Memorial Gardens cemetery. A memorial service will follow the graveside service at 11:00 am on Monday, February 8, 2021 at First United Methodist Church with Pastors Jay Armstrong, Karin Carlson and Jodie Wallin officiating. Services entrusted to Hubbard-Kelly Funeral Home. Masks should be worn and social distancing maintained at the visitation and memorial service.
Memorials may be made to the First United Methodist Church or a charity of choice.
The family wishes to thank the wonderful staff at the Courtyards Memory Care unit, especially Brenda, Cindy, Jessica and Kori for their attention and care and to Hospice of Odessa/Midland.