Mary Elizabeth Bruton Harper's Obituary
Mary Elizabeth Bruton Harper, native Texan, was born in Dallas on July 27, 1928. Mary attended North Dallas High School and graduated from Baylor University in 1948 with a Bachelor in Business Administration. Mary and Thomas Payne Harper, Jr., were joined in marriage on March 19, 1949 at First Baptist Church in Dallas. While raising her three children Mary worked as a receptionist for a pediatrician for twenty-two years. She truly loved working with the children and young parents she helped. Mary further demonstrated her love for children by teaching Sunday School for more than forty years to her favorite age — second grade — at First Baptist Church in Richardson. At First Baptist Mary was also an active member of the Adult Choir, Senior Adult Choir, Lady’s Thursday morning Bible Study, and the Fellowship Class. One of the great joys of her life was being “Mimi” to her grandchildren Kathleen, Mike, and Elizabeth. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Emmitt and Dovie Bruton, her husband of more than fifty-five years, Thomas Payne Harper, Jr., and her older brother, William Bruton. She is survived by her two sisters, Leatha Gordon and Janie Neal of Dallas; daughter Susan Cochran and husband Brian of Tucson, Arizona; son Thomas Payne Harper, III, of Seattle, Washington; daughter Peggy Skaggs and husband Jeff of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and grandchildren Kathleen Elizabeth Marsland and husband Matt of Tucson, Arizona; Hiram Michael Skaggs and wife Caitie of Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Elizabeth Bruton Harper of Seattle, Washington. Services will take place at 10:00 am on Wednesday, March 9, 2016 at The Wildwood Chapel at Restland Funeral Home with visitation one hour prior to the service in the chapel. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75243.
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