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September 2, 1936- September 8, 2021 Mary Lou was born in a private home in New Braunfels, Texas to her parents: Annie (Traugott) & Emil Friesenhahn. She was the only girl of four children survived by eldest brother Herman Friesenhahn & youngest brother Emil Friesenhahn Jr. and preceded in death by brother Theodore Friesenhahn. She was raised on a family homestead farm off Leroy Scheel Rd. in Bulverde, TX. She started her schooling at Specht-Bulverde School, off Obst Rd. in Bulverde for 1st & 2nd grade. She then attended St. Joseph’s Honey Creek Catholic School for 3rd-8th grade and went on to attend New Braunfels High School until the 11th grade before she ended her schooling to become a loving wife. Lawrence “Larry” and Mary Lou first met on the third Saturday in June of 1949 at the Luxello Dance Hall. She was asked to dance to “The Blue Skirt Waltz” and was coincidentally wearing a blue skirt. It is a memory that Larry recalls clearly. It was destiny in the making. They continued to see each other at local dances which only grew their interest in each other. It wasn’t long before Larry found out where Mary Lou lived and decided to visit her. Shortly after they began dating and would often go on dates to the movies. In April of 1950, Larry joined the Army. When he returned home from Korea in March of 1952, he got down on one knee and proposed to Mary Lou, the love of his life. They were married on a Wednesday morning at 9am- July 2, 1952- at St. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in New Braunfels. The newlyweds lived on Mary Lou’s Grandparents farm in Bulverde while Larry finished his military service at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio. After three years, Larry decided to leave the army and the couple settled down in New Braunfels. They both worked at the local Textile Mill. Larry worked as loom repairman and Mary Lou as a weaver. The year was 1954 their first child Sharon is born. In 1955, they decided together that Larry would rejoin the Army for an additional three years. Little did they know this would be the start of their traveling adventures. First stop Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland. Larry received orders to Okinawa and from there to Korea for a second tour. During this time, Mary Lou returned back to New Braunfels and worked for Dr. Bolton as a dental hygienist. In 1957, Larry returned home from Korea and they made their move to Columbus, Georgia where he was stationed at Fort Benning. Soon after, their second child, Jerald, was born in 1958. Later that year their little family made the big move to Vicenza, Italy. After two years overseas, they returned to Killeen, Texas where Larry was stationed at Fort Hood. Larry receives orders in 1961 to gyro to Ansbach Germany for the “Berlin Crisis”. Mary Lou and the two kids joined him shortly after in 1962. They lived in the towns of Ansbach and Nuremberg during their time there. While over seas a couple of Mary Lou’s favorite pass times were bowling leagues and card games where the game of choice was often pinochle. Mary Lou was more than up to the task when teams were men against women, she was said to be a very tough opponent. In October 1964, Larry was re-assigned to Fort Ord, California. Mary Lou was less than a month away from expecting their third child. The family flew to New York and then drove back in two separate vehicles. Larry drove a 64 VW with one child while Mary Lou followed close behind driving a 1960 Plymouth with the other child, their dog. She was eight months pregnant with their third child making the long trek to Bulverde, Texas. They stopped in Bulverde for 4 days, just long enough to purchase a 44-foot trailer, hook it up to the Plymouth and continue another long drive to Shady Oaks Trailer Park in California. In November 1964, their daughter Joni was born at Fort Ord, California military hospital. In 1966, Larry received orders to Vietnam. Mary Lou made the move with their three kids back to New Braunfels, TX and lived in a trailer park until 1967. They then moved to Maryland and lived on base at Aberdeen Proving Grounds where Larry was stationed for two years. In 1969 Larry once again received orders back to Vietnam. Mary Lou and the kids moved back to Bulverde, bought a house and settled on the property they would eventually call their forever home. Mary Lou went back to work at the Textile Mill and stayed working there until 1971. When Larry came back, he commuted back & forth on weekends from Fort Hood until he finished out his service with the Army & retired in 1972. A few years later in 1977, Mary Lou was hired by Comal County ISD as a cafeteria worker for Bulverde. She was continuing on her family tradition of cooking for the school. For the next 20 years her and several other women went on to prepare some of the best home cooked meals the school children had ever known. Their cooking is still talked about today by these same kids who are now adults. In 1992 Mary Lou earned her GED & became the cafeteria manager for the entire school district where she continued working until she retired in 1997. Mary Lou was very active at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church at Honey creek. She served on the Alter Society and was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America. She was always baking pies for fund raisers. They would bring in the highest donations during the baked goods auction. She also spent countless hours helping with food preparation at church festivals and gatherings. She was a very well known member. Mary Lou loved the outdoors; she was always first to take a spot on fishing trips at the coastal cabin. Perhaps her most joy was in 2000 when they purchased the ranch in Santa Anna and expanded the cattle head count. It didn’t make any difference how many head, she had a name for each and every one of them. Her and Larry truly loved being outside enjoying the views, fresh air and doing nothing but relaxing. Mary Lou was also very accomplished at sewing. She opened Oma’s Boutique at Joni’s Dance Studio where she sewed custom costumes for the dancers and even won costume awards. She loved passing on the joy of quilting and sewing to others. She loved to cook and bake while sharing her secrets to the grandchildren, as they loved to be around and participate in the fun with their “Oma” as well as be her “taste tester” for all the delicious foods. Mary Lou and Larry also enjoyed traveling in their motor home. They often took off to visit several military friends and relatives through out North America picking destinations of Florida, Pennsylvania, Montana, Georgia, Colorado and Washington. They took multiple trips to one of their favorites spots, Alaska, where they spent up to 3 months at a time. Their travels have taken them all over the world and back again, but by far her favorite destination was coming home to Bulverde, Texas. Like their travels, their marriage of 69 years has seen the fun times and the difficult ones, yet neither of them would have traded it for anything. It has been a lifetime investment that has produced many fruitful returns. 3 Children: Sharon & husband Dwayne Carpenter Jerald & wife Kelley Forster Joni & husband Kyle Kellar They have 10 grandchildren: Sharon Tervooren, Jason Carpenter, Morgan Carpenter, Jeremy Forster Pharm D, Brandon Forster, Derek Forster, Colbie Forster Katerina Lou Kellar MD, Kwin Kellar, Grant Kellar & 13 great grandchildren Mary Lou “Oma” was a supportive wife, a proud mother and an incredible grandmother. She was the most loving person and a pure joy for everyone to be around. Her heart was that of gold and she was the kindest soul anyone would ever know. She will be dearly missed and remembered by all. May God bless her as she rests peacefully in Heaven.

Tributes

Mary Lou Forster

September 2, 1936 - September 8, 2021