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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Mary, a long time resident of San Antonio, was born in Chamal, Tamaulipas, Mexico in her family’s barn where the family lived until their home could be rebuilt after the Mexican Revolution of 1910-1920. Her parents, Silvia (née Penix) and Ashley Taylor, were young single adults when they met while traveling on the train to the Blalock Mexico Colony that was settled on the Hacienda El Chamal in 1903. The colony was established by Americans attempting to create a farming and ranching community on the fertile grounds of this tropical paradise. The house her father built in the mid 1920’s was a large log cabin. The lower part of the house was made of palm logs chinked with a mixture of caliche and straw to keep out the cold. The roof was of palm thatch, which was abundant in the area, and did not require any nails to construct. As the family expanded, a second story was added to the house. Mary was the eighth of ten siblings, all of whom she loved dearly. She grew up idyllically on the family ranch and relished the beautiful countryside. She loved playing with the tropical wildlife: parrots, iguanas, frogs and even bats. She enjoyed riding her horse, Swanee, and together they would guard the cornfields from the multitude of parrots that would descend to peck the ears of corn. Flour was a rare luxury, but there was plenty of corn. The family made their own piloncillos from cane grown on the farm. This cane syrup was a welcomed topping on her favorite dessert, fried bananas, also grown there. Mary’s life in Chamal was the fondest of her memories. Home, sweet home would always be Chamal. The first time Mary lived in the United States was in 1941. She moved to Natalia, Texas, with her sister, Vesta, and her sister’s children, whom she helped care for. During World War II, Mary worked at the Lackland Air Force Base Exchange. That is where she met her first husband, Gerald Richard Newcomb, the General Manager of the PX at Lackland. Gerald passed away in 1983. They were married for 36 years and had two sons, Joe, who passed away at seventeen months of age from polio, and Rick. In 1987, she married Wayne K. Dolge. They were married 30 years until he passed away in 2017. Wayne had two daughters, Renee and Kelly, from a previous marriage whom she loved dearly. Mary’s first grandchild, Ashlee, started the tradition of calling her Nanny, and all her grandchildren continued doing this for the rest of her life. Mary was the kind of person who made friends with everyone she met and thoughtfully remembered to wish them well on their birthday, anniversary and any other special occasion. Mary provided immeasurable support and encouragement to her family and friends. She was incredibly special to all who knew her. She was also known as Aunt Mary, or Tia, to generations of nephews and nieces. She had the greatest love for her family and friends. Mary was an artist. She started painting in her seventies and took oil painting classes with her granddaughter, Beth. Since then, she created many colorful oil paintings. Her beloved home, Chamal, was often the focus of her landscapes. She painted the Chamalito, an extinct volcano in the northern part of the valley, the West Mountains and many of the places and things that she loved and remembered from her life growing up. She gifted these paintings to family, friends, and causes, like the Blalock Mexico Colony Reunion auctions. Copies of her oil paintings were used on cards and prints for raising funds for the reunion, which she attended as often as possible throughout her life. Mary loved children and enjoyed working in the church nursery. She made beautiful baby quilts and clothing by hand for family members and friends. She also embroidered many Christmas stockings and gifts by hand. Mary was a tenderhearted humanitarian who supported many groups and causes such as Doctors Without Borders, Habitat for Humanity, St. Labre Indian School, and PAWS. She also donated to many missions and churches. Mary is survived by her son, Rick Newcomb, and wife, Liz, her grandchildren, Beth and husband Eric, Augie, and wife, Meghan, Josh and wife, Yuko, and Ashlee and husband, Marcus, her great grandchildren Logan, Kaeli, Ken, Emi and Ace. Mary is also survived by her brother Lindy Taylor and wife Lillian, sister-in-law Maggie Taylor, and numerous nephews and nieces. SERVICES The Service will begin at 12:00 Noon on Thursday, April 18, 2019, at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North, 3401 Cherry Ridge Drive. Followed by a Luncheon Reception. Mary’s burial will be on Monday, April 22, 2019, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Rd, Pavilion 3 at 1:30 PM. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Doctors Without Borders ~ 40 Rector St., 16th Floor New York, NY 10006 ~ www.doctorswithoutborders.org or Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio 311 Probandt, San Antonio, TX 78204 ~ www.habitatsa.org.

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Mary Kathleen Taylor Newcomb Dolge

May 30, 1924 - April 8, 2019