Mary Florence Stewart

Mary Florence Stewart, née Tullis was born on May 1, 1927, in Tulsa, OK, and passed away on February 2, 2026, in Fort Worth, TX. She married Charles Harrison Stewart on August 7, 1953, in Odessa, TX.

She is preceded in death by her husband, Harrison Stewart of Rattan, OK, sister, Julia Doris of Midland, TX, and both of her parents, Julia and Ben Tullis.

Mary is survived by her daughter, Susan Stevens and husband, Bob, of North Richland Hills, TX, and grandchildren, Elizabeth Miller, and husband, Steven of Dripping Springs, TX, and Bobby Stevens and wife, Priyanka, of Shreveport, LA. Two great-grandchildren, Hattie and Hank Miller of Dripping Springs, TX. Nieces, Kathryn Wilson, Juliann Harvey, and Laura Loe.

She lived in Tulsa until 1935, where she started school before her family moved to Dallas. She lived between Dallas and Houston most of her formative years, graduating from Dallas Sunset High School in February of 1944. After graduation, she began college at the age of 16 in Denton, TX, at Texas State College for Women (now known as Texas Woman’s University). She said she took her ration books to college with her and had to stand in line to buy nylon hose, even though they weren’t rationed; they were scarce. In a side note, a mostly unused ration coupon book from the 40s was found among her effects. If you knew my mother well, you wouldn’t be surprised. You can take the girl out of the Great Depression, but you can’t take the Great Depression out of the girl.

After she finished college in the fall of 1947, she began her long teaching career in the Texas Panhandle town of Perryton. She didn’t particularly care for the cold winters there. In 1951, she finished her Master's Degree in Denton, bought a car, and took a job teaching in Odessa, TX. It was in Odessa that she met her future husband, Harrison. He was friends with the boyfriend of her roommate at the teacherage (teacher’s housing). She said that friendship didn’t last, but her relationship with Harrison did.

Mary and Harrison married on August 7, 1953, in Odessa. She continued to teach until May 1955, when she was required to resign her job as a teacher because pregnant teachers weren’t allowed to be in the classroom.  Her daughter Mary Susan Stewart was born that November. She said it was the best day of their lives. They also bought their first television set that year, a black and white model that only got a few stations. She went back to teaching in the spring of 1956.

In the summer of 1963, we took a trip to Disneyland. It was recently opened and was the only real vacation we ever took as a family, other than driving to visit relatives. In July of the same year, we packed up and moved to Oklahoma. We lived in a rented house for a year or so while building the house on Belzoni Road where she lived for the next 47 years. The first friends made in Rattan were Joreita and Rita Smith. They came out to greet us and introduce themselves, and thus began a lifelong friendship. Another family of Smiths –Pete and Joy Smith– moved in just down the road in the late 60s. They taught alongside Mary in the Rattan school system for many years and were a constant presence in her life.

Mary taught first and second grades in Rattan Public Schools until retiring in 1985. If you attended Rattan Schools and are between forty-five and sixty-eight, she probably taught you.  She had been retired far longer than she ever taught, and she taught a long time, 10 years in Texas and 22 in Oklahoma.

Mary’s Christian faith was a way of life for her.  She lived her faith daily.  She was always deeply involved in the Rattan First Baptist Church. She taught Sunday School classes there for many years and made many deep and lasting friendships with the women she taught. She continued attending Bible Study until the end of her life.

In 2006, Harrison died. Mary didn’t want to leave her home in Oklahoma just yet. In 2011, she made the decision to sell the place and move to Texas to be closer to her family. She felt like she was missing out on things by not being close by. She was able to attend both of her grandchildren's college graduations and weddings, and she got to be around when her great-grandchildren were born. In the last 15 years of her life, she was able to participate in many family gatherings and holidays.

In the 98 years she lived, she witnessed many world events and cultural changes: Calvin Coolidge was president when she was born, the US entered WWII when she was a teen, and everything from the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Civil Rights, Women’s Rights, the Space Race all the way through to 9/11 as a retiree. She saw televisions become a living room necessity, microwaves a necessity in every kitchen, landlines give way to cell phones, computers to iPads, and the emergence of Social Media. Oh, the things she has seen in her 98 years. She truly had a life well lived.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Rattan First Baptist Church. 

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