Mary Louise Chandler Dobbs (aka Mary Lou and LuLu) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 30, 1930. Her spirit ascended to Heaven on June 26, 2019 in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 89 years.
The oldest of five children, Mary Lou moved several times with her family to follow her father’s job with the Army Corps of Engineers, demonstrating an ability to quickly adapt and bring warmth and humor to any situation. She also expressed exceptional musical aptitude and headstrong independence at a young age, convincing her parents to buy her a second-hand piano and send her downtown on the street car each week for piano lessons at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. These qualities and talents shaped much of her life.
After High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Mary Lou attended The University of Mississippi and Tulane University for bachelors and masters degrees in English Literature, with a minor in French. She began her career working as a public school teacher in New Orleans. She soon felt called to travel and joined Delta Airlines as a stewardess working the international circuit from Texas and New Orleans to Latin America. She met her husband, Walt Dobbs, a business traveller on a flight. After experiencing the 1959 Cuban Revolution together in Havana, the two married in 1960 and settled in Wichita Falls, Texas, for Walt’s Petroleum Engineering career. There Mary Lou taught English at Barwise Junior High School.
When her son, Walt III, was born, she took an extended leave to focus on family and community. She served regularly on the boards of the Wichita Falls Museum and Arts Center, Wichita Falls Symphony, the Heritage Society, and as an active member of the First Presbyterian Church. A favorite yearly routine was chairing the International Foods fundraiser for the Arts Center. She studied organ theory and technique under Dr. Ron Hogue at Midwestern State University and went on to become a regular organist for one of the Presbyterian churches in town and a substitute for two others. Mary Lou later followed her passions back to education, first as an elementary school music teacher, then as a spanish teacher at Rider High School. She took advantage of opportunities offered by community foundations to spend summers in Mexico with local families, studying the language and culture for the purpose of connecting with others and bringing her students the most authentic instruction possible. She also loved spending time at the family’s second home in Port Aransas, Texas and sharing it with others. Her many house cats and the backyard birds and squirrels she fed every day were a constant source of joy.
After retiring from the Wichita Falls Independent School District, Mary Lou remained active with her many friends in book clubs, bridge groups, and yoga classes. She and Walt enjoyed traveling and spending time with extended family, especially their grandsons. She was widely known for bringing good cheer, humility, and a song to all she met. Into late life, her most lucid memories remained her Spanish language pre-flight briefing announcement, the funny songs she sang with her Spanish students, and church hymns.
Mary Lou is survived by her son Walter C. Dobbs III, daughter-in-law Laura Talley Dobbs, three grandsons: Grady Chandler Dobbs, Neil Findley Dobbs and Callum Talley Dobbs, sister Ann Hurst, and brothers George Chandler and Craig Chandler. She was predeceased by her husband, Walt Dobbs, parents, Sidney William Chandler and Elizabeth Keel Chandler, and sister Cynthia Williams.
Services will be on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 in Denver, CO. A Committal Service will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236 at 10am. Then, a Memorial Service and Reception will be held at Rosemark at Mayfair Park, 833 Jersey St, Denver, CO 80220 at 11am.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Mary Lou’s memory to the sacred music fund of Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver (www.montview.org) to celebrate her love of music or to Children International (www.children.org) to celebrate her passion for education and world cultures.
A Better Place Funeral & Cremation Center
Denver, Colorado
The oldest of five children, Mary Lou moved several times with her family to follow her father’s job with the Army Corps of Engineers, demonstrating an ability to quickly adapt and bring warmth and humor to any situation. She also expressed exceptional musical aptitude and headstrong independence at a young age, convincing her parents to buy her a second-hand piano and send her downtown on the street car each week for piano lessons at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. These qualities and talents shaped much of her life.
After High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Mary Lou attended The University of Mississippi and Tulane University for bachelors and masters degrees in English Literature, with a minor in French. She began her career working as a public school teacher in New Orleans. She soon felt called to travel and joined Delta Airlines as a stewardess working the international circuit from Texas and New Orleans to Latin America. She met her husband, Walt Dobbs, a business traveller on a flight. After experiencing the 1959 Cuban Revolution together in Havana, the two married in 1960 and settled in Wichita Falls, Texas, for Walt’s Petroleum Engineering career. There Mary Lou taught English at Barwise Junior High School.
When her son, Walt III, was born, she took an extended leave to focus on family and community. She served regularly on the boards of the Wichita Falls Museum and Arts Center, Wichita Falls Symphony, the Heritage Society, and as an active member of the First Presbyterian Church. A favorite yearly routine was chairing the International Foods fundraiser for the Arts Center. She studied organ theory and technique under Dr. Ron Hogue at Midwestern State University and went on to become a regular organist for one of the Presbyterian churches in town and a substitute for two others. Mary Lou later followed her passions back to education, first as an elementary school music teacher, then as a spanish teacher at Rider High School. She took advantage of opportunities offered by community foundations to spend summers in Mexico with local families, studying the language and culture for the purpose of connecting with others and bringing her students the most authentic instruction possible. She also loved spending time at the family’s second home in Port Aransas, Texas and sharing it with others. Her many house cats and the backyard birds and squirrels she fed every day were a constant source of joy.
After retiring from the Wichita Falls Independent School District, Mary Lou remained active with her many friends in book clubs, bridge groups, and yoga classes. She and Walt enjoyed traveling and spending time with extended family, especially their grandsons. She was widely known for bringing good cheer, humility, and a song to all she met. Into late life, her most lucid memories remained her Spanish language pre-flight briefing announcement, the funny songs she sang with her Spanish students, and church hymns.
Mary Lou is survived by her son Walter C. Dobbs III, daughter-in-law Laura Talley Dobbs, three grandsons: Grady Chandler Dobbs, Neil Findley Dobbs and Callum Talley Dobbs, sister Ann Hurst, and brothers George Chandler and Craig Chandler. She was predeceased by her husband, Walt Dobbs, parents, Sidney William Chandler and Elizabeth Keel Chandler, and sister Cynthia Williams.
Services will be on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 in Denver, CO. A Committal Service will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236 at 10am. Then, a Memorial Service and Reception will be held at Rosemark at Mayfair Park, 833 Jersey St, Denver, CO 80220 at 11am.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Mary Lou’s memory to the sacred music fund of Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver (www.montview.org) to celebrate her love of music or to Children International (www.children.org) to celebrate her passion for education and world cultures.
A Better Place Funeral & Cremation Center
Denver, Colorado
Mary Louise Chandler Dobbs (aka Mary Lou and LuLu) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on May 30, 1930. Her spirit ascended to Heaven on June 26, 2019 in Denver, Colorado, at the age of 89 years.
The oldest of five children, Mary Lou moved several times with her family to follow her father’s job with the Army Corps of Engineers, demonstrating an ability to quickly adapt and bring warmth and humor to any situation. She also expressed exceptional musical aptitude and headstrong independence at a young age, convincing her parents to buy her a second-hand piano and send her downtown on the street car each week for piano lessons at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. These qualities and talents shaped much of her life.
After High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Mary Lou attended The University of Mississippi and Tulane University for bachelors and masters degrees in English Literature, with a minor in French. She began her career working as a public school teacher in New Orleans. She soon felt called to travel and joined Delta Airlines as a stewardess working the international circuit from Texas and New Orleans to Latin America. She met her husband, Walt Dobbs, a business traveller on a flight. After experiencing the 1959 Cuban Revolution together in Havana, the two married in 1960 and settled in Wichita Falls, Texas, for Walt’s Petroleum Engineering career. There Mary Lou taught English at Barwise Junior High School.
When her son, Walt III, was born, she took an extended leave to focus on family and community. She served regularly on the boards of the Wichita Falls Museum and Arts Center, Wichita Falls Symphony, the Heritage Society, and as an active member of the First Presbyterian Church. A favorite yearly routine was chairing the International Foods fundraiser for the Arts Center. She studied organ theory and technique under Dr. Ron Hogue at Midwestern State University and went on to become a regular organist for one of the Presbyterian churches in town and a substitute for two others. Mary Lou later followed her passions back to education, first as an elementary school music teacher, then as a spanish teacher at Rider High School. She took advantage of opportunities offered by community foundations to spend summers in Mexico with local families, studying the language and culture for the purpose of connecting with others and bringing her students the most authentic instruction possible. She also loved spending time at the family’s second home in Port Aransas, Texas and sharing it with others. Her many house cats and the backyard birds and squirrels she fed every day were a constant source of joy.
After retiring from the Wichita Falls Independent School District, Mary Lou remained active with her many friends in book clubs, bridge groups, and yoga classes. She and Walt enjoyed traveling and spending time with extended family, especially their grandsons. She was widely known for bringing good cheer, humility, and a song to all she met. Into late life, her most lucid memories remained her Spanish language pre-flight briefing announcement, the funny songs she sang with her Spanish students, and church hymns.
Mary Lou is survived by her son Walter C. Dobbs III, daughter-in-law Laura Talley Dobbs, three grandsons: Grady Chandler Dobbs, Neil Findley Dobbs and Callum Talley Dobbs, sister Ann Hurst, and brothers George Chandler and Craig Chandler. She was predeceased by her husband, Walt Dobbs, parents, Sidney William Chandler and Elizabeth Keel Chandler, and sister Cynthia Williams.
Services will be on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 in Denver, CO. A Committal Service will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236 at 10am. Then, a Memorial Service and Reception will be held at Rosemark at Mayfair Park, 833 Jersey St, Denver, CO 80220 at 11am.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Mary Lou’s memory to the sacred music fund of Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver (www.montview.org) to celebrate her love of music or to Children International (www.children.org) to celebrate her passion for education and world cultures.
A Better Place Funeral & Cremation Center
Denver, Colorado
The oldest of five children, Mary Lou moved several times with her family to follow her father’s job with the Army Corps of Engineers, demonstrating an ability to quickly adapt and bring warmth and humor to any situation. She also expressed exceptional musical aptitude and headstrong independence at a young age, convincing her parents to buy her a second-hand piano and send her downtown on the street car each week for piano lessons at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore. These qualities and talents shaped much of her life.
After High School in Jackson, Mississippi, Mary Lou attended The University of Mississippi and Tulane University for bachelors and masters degrees in English Literature, with a minor in French. She began her career working as a public school teacher in New Orleans. She soon felt called to travel and joined Delta Airlines as a stewardess working the international circuit from Texas and New Orleans to Latin America. She met her husband, Walt Dobbs, a business traveller on a flight. After experiencing the 1959 Cuban Revolution together in Havana, the two married in 1960 and settled in Wichita Falls, Texas, for Walt’s Petroleum Engineering career. There Mary Lou taught English at Barwise Junior High School.
When her son, Walt III, was born, she took an extended leave to focus on family and community. She served regularly on the boards of the Wichita Falls Museum and Arts Center, Wichita Falls Symphony, the Heritage Society, and as an active member of the First Presbyterian Church. A favorite yearly routine was chairing the International Foods fundraiser for the Arts Center. She studied organ theory and technique under Dr. Ron Hogue at Midwestern State University and went on to become a regular organist for one of the Presbyterian churches in town and a substitute for two others. Mary Lou later followed her passions back to education, first as an elementary school music teacher, then as a spanish teacher at Rider High School. She took advantage of opportunities offered by community foundations to spend summers in Mexico with local families, studying the language and culture for the purpose of connecting with others and bringing her students the most authentic instruction possible. She also loved spending time at the family’s second home in Port Aransas, Texas and sharing it with others. Her many house cats and the backyard birds and squirrels she fed every day were a constant source of joy.
After retiring from the Wichita Falls Independent School District, Mary Lou remained active with her many friends in book clubs, bridge groups, and yoga classes. She and Walt enjoyed traveling and spending time with extended family, especially their grandsons. She was widely known for bringing good cheer, humility, and a song to all she met. Into late life, her most lucid memories remained her Spanish language pre-flight briefing announcement, the funny songs she sang with her Spanish students, and church hymns.
Mary Lou is survived by her son Walter C. Dobbs III, daughter-in-law Laura Talley Dobbs, three grandsons: Grady Chandler Dobbs, Neil Findley Dobbs and Callum Talley Dobbs, sister Ann Hurst, and brothers George Chandler and Craig Chandler. She was predeceased by her husband, Walt Dobbs, parents, Sidney William Chandler and Elizabeth Keel Chandler, and sister Cynthia Williams.
Services will be on Wednesday, July 24, 2019 in Denver, CO. A Committal Service will be held at Fort Logan National Cemetery, 4400 W Kenyon Ave, Denver, CO 80236 at 10am. Then, a Memorial Service and Reception will be held at Rosemark at Mayfair Park, 833 Jersey St, Denver, CO 80220 at 11am.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Mary Lou’s memory to the sacred music fund of Montview Presbyterian Church in Denver (www.montview.org) to celebrate her love of music or to Children International (www.children.org) to celebrate her passion for education and world cultures.
A Better Place Funeral & Cremation Center
Denver, Colorado
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