Mary Lou Winkler's Obituary
Mary Lou Winkler was born on September 8, 1927 in Denver, CO and passed away June 23, 2016 in Dallas, TX. She was preceded in death by parents Mary and Ross Hutchison, brother Bob Hutchison, husband Paul Winkler and daughter Donna Smith. Mary Lou is survived by daughter Mary Ann Lowry, son Tom Winkler and wife Sharon, son-in-law Phil Smith, grandchildren Brent Lowry and wife Cristina, Ross Lowry, Ryan Smith and wife Lacy, Jenna Gibson, Kristina Smith, Becca Winkler, Thomas Winkler, and great grandchildren Latham, Lily, Maisy and Adalynn. Mary Lou, “Mom,” “Grandma,” was a precious, sweet woman of God. She was a wonderful wife, mother, servant and Rangers fan. She went to public schools in Denver before attending Colorado A&M, graduating with a degree in Home Economics in 1949. She did an internship at the Los Angeles, CA VA Hospital, training to be a dietitian. She met Paul in college, and they married November 3, 1950 in Denver. Paul somehow convinced her to move to Dallas, where he had a job with Texaco, and Mary Lou began working as a dietitian in the Dallas VA Hospital. She continued working at the Dallas VA even after moving to Fort Worth with Paul in 1952. She became a full time mom when Mary Ann was born. When Paul became a State Farm agent in 1966, Mary Lou ran the office while he was out doing sales calls. She did this for three or four years, until the business was better established and she could train her replacement. She served the Glen Garden, Pleasant Ridge, and Highland Churches of Christ as a Bible school teacher, audio/visual supply coordinator, and elder’s wife. In their retirement years, Mary Lou and Paul traveled, visited children and grandchildren, and served their churches faithfully. She and Paul were generous with support of their local church, as well as Arms of Hope and Oklahoma Christian University. They were able to see the completion and dedication in 2014 of the Paul and Mary Lou Winkler Hospitality Center on the Boles Campus of Arms of Hope. In her last year of life, despite failing health and the loss of her husband and daughter, Mary Lou continued to be grateful to God for her blessings, and served as an amazing source of courage and comfort to friends as well as family. She will be missed, but her influence will live on. Family will receive friends on Thursday, June 30, 2016 from 6-8 PM at Restland Funeral Home Abbey Chapel with graveside service on Friday, July 1, 2016 at 2 PM at DFW National Cemetery. Memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 11 AM at the Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ in Arlington, TX. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted into Restland Funeral Home and Memorial Park, 13005 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75243. In lieu of flowers, family requests donations be made to Arms of Hope Medina Campus, 21300 State Highway 16 N., Medina, Tx 78055 **************************************************************************************************************** Thanking God for my Mother, Mary Lou Winkler As I begin to write this, I am sitting in a hospital room with my mom as she lies in bed, in what is probably the last days or even hours of her life. It is natural at a time like this to reflect back on such a life well lived. She has been an extraordinary woman of God, regardless of the circumstances in which she found herself. Mom was raised in the depression by hard working, God-fearing parents who modeled joyfulness, while teaching her the value of hard work and frugality. This upbringing served her well the rest of her life. The biggest early challenge may have occurred when my Dad quit his job, and together they decided that he would begin selling insurance. This was incredibly risky with 3 kids to feed, and a base income that was much lower than his previous job. Nonetheless, mom not only supported him, she got very involved. She would run and organize the office while he was out selling. All the while, both of them stayed committed to being involved at church, and made the decision to keep giving the same amount they had pledged, despite the drop in income. Not long after the career change, tragedy struck in the fall of 1966, as my mom’s brother, Bob, died of a heart attack. Soon after, my dad’s mother died of cancer. Just 4 years later, my dad lost his father, and mom lost her mother in the same week. I witnessed both of them crying and grieving, but never saw their faith waiver. My dad had already become an elder at this time, and mom was very involved in teaching, and none of this was interrupted. As God prospered my dad’s business, mom was able to redirect her talents, becoming more involved in her children’s activities. She would also use her skills of organizing to help coordinate the teachers supply room, which saved the church significant expense by the efficiency she helped establish. Throughout our lives, when one of my sisters or I suffered a major disappointment, she would repeatedly say, “Everything is going to be all right,” meaning the outcome might not be what we wanted, but God would fill the needs in ways we might not be able to imagine. Mom blessed all those with whom she interacted with kindness, laughter, gentle correction and, if necessary, rebuking. She was a loyal wife who constantly demonstrated both love and respect to her husband. She improved her skills as a mother to being an even better grandmother and great-grandmother. Whether it was through praise, gifts, cards or just fun times together, she demonstrated unconditional love and modeled her faith just as she had done with her children. Some of the hardest times in her life came in the past 4 years as her health began to decline, my dad’s memory loss was worsening, and my sister Donna was also beginning her battle with cancer. Mom refused to put my Dad in a memory care unit until she broke her hip and couldn’t be with him to look out for him. It was in the first 2 weeks after her surgery that she learned Donna had been diagnosed with cancer. She chose not to give up, but using what remaining strength and energy she had, she got through the rehab program and was able to go back to her apartment. It didn’t take her long to decide that Daddy could be better cared for in the memory care unit. Nonetheless, she would visit him almost daily, using the motorized chair to get to his unit. Even with his mental decline, she never quit showing him respect and love. She would often brag on his financial planning that left her financially secure, despite his inability to continue managing their finances. The last 18 months have been very tough on all of us- especially mom. My dad’s health and mind began to more sharply decline in early 2015, until his death in June. In January, she lost Donna. Despite the extreme challenge of a long car trip she was able to be with Donna for Thanksgiving and also 2 weeks before her death in January. Not surprisingly, she managed to make one last trip to be at Donna’s funeral. Mom had to be hospitalized 4 times since last fall, including this current stay. True to her character, as they were taking her to surgery last week, when reminded by my sister of all those who loved her, she said, “I’m so blessed.” I am finishing this tribute after my mom has died. Despite the events of the last several months, mom continued to be gracious, loving and caring. She maintained her joyfulness, despite her grief and physical challenges. The last meaningful conversations she had with her family, and even her caregivers, were consistent with her belief that with God in charge, “Everything would be all right.” I am blessed to have had such a wonderful mom. I already miss her deeply; but, despite her death, I rejoice that for her, everything is finally “all right.” She is with her God, who she faithfully served. I know we all look forward to being with her again, as well as others we love. Thanks for reading this tribute to my mom. Tom Winkler
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