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Mary Elizabeth Smith Burden, passed away quietly in the early morning of August 1, 2023, at 86 years of age, in San Antonio, Texas. She died of Alzheimer’s disease. She was born on June 21, 1937, the daughter of Frank Sample Smith and Cynthia Elizabeth Person in San Antonio, where she spent most of her life. She graduated from Brackenridge High School in 1956. On May 26, 1956, at age 18, she married her childhood sweetheart, Alfred Lionel (Al) Burden, Jr. In 1962, Mary Elizabeth took her three small daughters and lived in Panama with her husband while he served in the United States Army. Upon completion of his service, Al and Mary Elizabeth returned to San Antonio, where he started his practice as an ophthalmologist – always with the support of his loving wife. A life-long member of the Church of Christ, she was baptized at 14 years old. Her faith in the Lord led her life. Mary Elizabeth enjoyed teaching Sunday school and VBS. Her lessons came to life with her creativity in presenting each Bible lesson. She and Al were involved in teaching the youth and supervising youth retreats. She instilled her love of the Lord in her daughters, rejoicing when they were baptized and when several of her grandchildren were baptized. When her health failed and she could no longer attend church services, she watched “In Search of the Lord’s Way” and partook communion at her home. Mary Elizabeth had a natural talent for sewing and made many of her daughters’ clothes. She always had projects to work on such as knitting intricate blankets, needlepoint, and gardening. Her natural eye for interior design was reflected in her beautiful home and Al’s medical office. She had a strong work ethic, a trait she passed on to her daughters and grandchildren. For many years, she was a genealogy researcher and published author of her family history. The Smiths were early residents of Texas, arriving during the Republic, settling in Gonzales and Seguin. Her great-great grandfather, Ezekiel, was on the Mier Expedition and in the Battle of Plum Creek. She and other Ezekiel Smith descendants were instrumental in the issuance of a State Historical Marker at Riverside Cemetery in Seguin, Texas, where Ezekiel Smith and other descendants are buried. She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Al, who died in 2019, parents Frank Sample Smith and Cynthia Elizabeth Person Smith, and brother Dean Francis Smith, all buried at Mission Park-South Cemetery. She is survived by (1) her daughter Shari Lynn (Hal) Hughes of Palestine, TX, their children: Mark Winfred (Nikki) Hughes II, Kyle Eric Hughes, Kelli Lynn Hughes (Eric Linares), Meredith Lindsey (Brandon) Beeson, and Shane Randol Hughes; (2) her daughter Cynthia Elizabeth (Rod) Hackney of San Antonio and Cynthia’s children: Taylor Alfred Brite and Alan Thomas Brite; and (3) her daughter, Susan Alane (Sam) Stricklin and their children: Robert Sherrod (Trey) Stricklin III, William Burden Stricklin, and Samantha Lane Stricklin. She is also survived by many great-grandchildren. Her family sends a special thank you to Sonia Rodriguez, Angelica Ruiz, Magdelina Traudt, MD, Eillen Gonzales, and other caregivers with Santa Rita Home Health & Hospice Services, for their loving care of Mary Elizabeth. Graveside services will be held Saturday, August 19, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., at Mission Burial Park South with her grandsons serving as pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, donations would be welcome at “In Search of the Lord’s Way,” P.O. Box 371, Edmond, OK 73083 or the “Alzheimer’s Association,” act.alz.org.

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Mary Elizabeth Burden

June 21, 1937 - August 1, 2023