Mary Martha Dickie Dossett

Mary Martha Dossett, 89, passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 27, 2021. She will be forever remembered for her unfailing kindness and generosity, her dry yet gracious wit, and her unwavering passion for her family, friends and community. A graveside service will be held at Oakwood Cemetery, 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 6. Mary Martha was born in Amarillo on July 25, 1931, to Pauline Reeder and Jess Carson Dickie, Jr., who moved their family to Tyler when Mary Martha was a young girl. She graduated from Tyler High School in 1948 and attended the University of Texas where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. While in Austin she met her beloved husband, Walter Brown Dossett, Jr., whom she married in 1950. Together the couple travelled and sailed the world, raised five children and became pillars of Waco’s civic, business and cultural communities. The couple remained devoted to one another until Walter’s death in 2003. Mary Martha championed numerous charitable, and community causes in Waco throughout her life. She was President and a long-time member of both the Waco Symphony Women’s Council and The Junior League of Waco. She was instrumental in the evolution of the Waco Art Center, serving as its Treasurer and Chairman of its Board of Trustees. She was President of the Woman’s Club of Waco from 2003–2005. Mary Martha happily tackled the hard work of generating the financial backing needed to support these important civic and charitable institutions. She chaired the Junior League of Waco Charity Ball. She was involved for years with the Waco Cotton Palace, which she chaired in 1975 and 1976. She also helped establish and chair the Waco Symphony Hunter-Jumper Horse Show. When the show venue was hit by a tornado in the middle of the event in the early ’70s, Mary Martha worked through the night to organize and lead rescue and cleanup efforts. She was happy to serve behind the scenes as well. She volunteered for many years with Meals on Wheels and Providence Hospital and was a member of the St. Louis Catholic School Mothers Club. Mary Martha was an avid bridge player and a dedicated gardener whose yard and greenhouse abounded with plants of all kinds, especially her favorites like ferns, poppies and irises. She also relished baking for friends and family, particularly in their times of need or grief. Mary Martha was predeceased by her parents; husband, Walter; and her brother, Jess Dickie III. She is survived by her son, Reeder Dossett and his wife, Dr. Jennifer Moody, of Valley Mills; son, CDR Markham B. Dossett USNR(ret) and his wife, Susan Stevener, of Crawford, together with their sons, Walter and Markham; daughter, Susan Sleeper Dossett of Fredericksburg and her daughter, Katharine Groetzinger of Bluff, Utah; daughter, Beckham Dossett and her partner, Nancy Barbour, of Houston; daughter, Polly Whittle and her husband, Jeff Whittle, of Dallas, and their children Erin, Clayton and Andrew; sisters-in-law, Joy Dickie of Fredericksburg and Francis Swann of Tyler; brother-in-law, Cullen Smith and his wife, Ann, of Waco; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family wishes to express their most sincere gratitude to Mary Martha’s long-time companion and housekeeper Eulojia Fuentes, and to the caregivers from Home Instead Senior Care. Thank you Eulojia, DeAnna, Gwen, Kelly, Linda, Rhonda, Sandra, Shameka, Shirley and Tonyia. Truly. Honorary pallbearers are Piers Bateman, Carson Dickie IV, Andrew Swann and Thomas Swann. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made in Mary Martha’s honor to Ascension Providence Foundation. The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our "Tribute Wall" at www.WHBfamily.com.