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Mary Ruth Wathen White was taken home to the Lord on April 27, 2013 at the age of 86 in San Antonio. She was born in Athens, Texas December 27, 1926 to Sarah Elizabeth Evans and Benedict Hudson Wathen. She is preceded in death by her husband, Robert Miles White whom she married on November 10, 1946. She was a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State Teachers College and was a housewife the majority of her life. Mary was a member of St. Luke's Catholic Church in San Antonio. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America, Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, the Daughters of the American Revolution James McHenry Chapter; past president of the Alamo Area Council of PTAs, and of the San Antonio Chapter of the League of Women Voters. A registered parliamentarian, she worked with PTAs and other nonprofits throughout the United States. Calling herself "a little old lady in tennis shoes," she tirelessly worked towards a vision of a more just society. She was instrumental in creating the Mothers and Their Children MATCH program at the Bexar County Jai with Catholic Detention Ministries and was appointed to the San Antonio Metropolitan Community Corrections Commission. She was a founder of the Texas Juvenile Justice Coalition and helped create the Youth Alternatives Emergency Shelter. She was an advocate for the rights of people with mental illness and helped found the Center for Health Care Services. More recently she helped to create and was a benefactor to Trey's House, a support network for people with brain injury. Mary is survived by her sister, Martha E. Wathen Smith of Beaumont; her brother, Thurman R.Wathen of Rosebud, Oregon. Mary had eight children: Martha Baerreis of Tellico Plains, Tennessee; Robert White, Jr., of Round Rock; Ben White of Coker Creek, Tennessee; Mary Reeve of Gallup NM; Jesse White of Hampton, Virginia; Margaret Griffith of San Antonio; Maureen Bakenhus of Austin, TX; and Thomas White of San Antonio; 23 grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be Tuesday, April 30, 2013, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North, with a rosary at 7:00 PM, with the Mass of the Resurrection at 11:00 AM the following morning at St Gregory's Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to a favorite charity, in the name of Mary Wathen White.

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Mary Ruth White

December 27, 1926 - April 27, 2013