Heard, Mary Ann, 1934-2025

Mary Ann Heard passed from this life to her eternal reward on January 20, 2025.  She was born October 10, 1934, in Vernon, Texas to Plenny D. and Elgie Chaney who instilled in her a lifelong desire to serve Jesus and others.  She attended Vernon schools and graduated from Vernon High School in 1953.  While at VHS, she played flute in band and was editor of the yearbook "The Yamparika."  She attended Abilene Christian University for two years where she was a member of Ko Jo Kai Club for Women.  She completed college at the University of Texas at Austin in 1957 earning a degree in Business Administration with a teaching certification and was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.  After teaching business for a year at Texas City High School, she returned to Vernon and taught business at Vernon High School till 1964.  She married her Junior High school sweetheart, James Lemuel Heard, on July 31, 1959, at the Houston and Pease Church of Christ in Vernon.

Mary Ann and James, with their two boys, left Vernon and spent the next two years in Denton, where their 3rd son was born.  They then moved to El Paso in 1967 thinking it would be only for a few short years before returning to Denton.   After living in northeast El Paso and then Kern Place, they eventually settled on the westside of El Paso near Coronado High School in 1969.  Mary Ann and James were very active at the Westside Church of Christ.  She served as a teacher for the 4th grade Sunday school for over 30 years, an active leader in the Ladies Bible Class, and the bus ministry in the 1970s.   Mary Ann was also very involved in the PTA at Putnam, Western Hills and Carlos Rivera Elementary Schools and Coronado High School.  She was a Cub Scout Den Leader for each of her sons during those years.  After her sons graduated from school, she worked for the University of Texas at El Paso as the undergraduate advisor for the College of Business for almost 15 years, retiring in 2000.  She assisted James in his insurance business over the years till he closed his office in January 2020.

Early in the 1970s after being a golf "widow" for several years, she learned the game and thoroughly enjoyed playing golf with her family and being a very active with the Ladies Golf Association at El Paso Country Club.  Her other civic activities kept her busy in leadership roles at the West El Paso Garden Club, Panhellenic – Alpha Gamma Delta, PEO, Delta Kappa Gamma teachers' association and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas over the years in El Paso.  She had a lifelong love of all things Texas and celebrated Texas Independence Day annually on March 2nd with Texas shaped cookies, bluebonnets and longhorns.

Mary Ann and James loved to travel taking numerous golf trips with EPCC friends to places all over the country.  They also enjoyed cruises, particularly a cruise with all children and grandchildren to celebrate their 50th Anniversary and a cruise to Normandy in 1994 with her cousin and his wife to commemorate the 40th anniversary of D-Day and honor her brothers who were killed in action in WWII.

Their "short stay" in El Paso lasted over 55 years.  She and James moved to the Dallas area in 2022 to be closer to their sons, daughters-in-law, and spend more time with all their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Mary Ann was a beautiful, accomplished woman with a host of close friends, but she never failed to make her family feel that they were the most important people in her world. Although James was her number one, she was a loving mother to her sons and treated their wives as her own daughters. Her grandchildren have many happy memories of the loving times spent in her home, her kitchen, and on the adventures she planned. She is the beloved "MiMer" and her grace, love, support, and example will never be forgotten.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Plenny D. and Elgie Chaney and her brothers Paul D. and Dan W. Chaney.  She is survived by her husband, James L. Heard, sons and daughters-in-law, James Dan (Kelly) Heard of Farmers Branch, Paul David (Pam) Heard of Dallas, John Robert (Jennifer) Heard of Plano.  Also nine grandchildren and their spouses, Kendra (Patrick) Drew,  Chanea Heard, James Hunter Heard, Krista (David) Smith,  Carolyn (Rob) Wyde, Paul David (Elle) Heard, Jr., Daniel Heard, Samuel Heard, Elizabeth Heard and eight great grandchildren, Emmitt Drew, Mary Barbara Drew, Kevin Drew, Ruby Drew, Hannah Grace Heard, Emma Catherine Heard, Sonja Smith, Lily Ruth Wyde and close first cousins Martha Carol Keene and Marshall Bagley.  A special thanks to the caregivers who made her life comfortable and peaceful: Fran, Angie, Willie, Shannon, Kim and Mercedes.

Visitation will be at 11AM Saturday January 25,2025 at Wilbarger St. Church of Christ, 2515 W. Wilbarger St, Vernon, Texas followed by a funeral service at Noon.  Burial will follow at Eastview Memorial Park.

In lieu of Flowers, memorial gifts can be made to the Westside Church of Christ, 100 Crestmont, El Paso, TX 79912 or the Robinson-Chaney American Legion Post #67, 1901 Deaf Smith, Vernon, TX 76384.