Mary Nelda Massey

Mary Nelda Massey, 92, of Waco, passed away peacefully at her home Wednesday, December 15. Services will be at 2:30 pm on Saturday, December 18, at Prairie Hill Baptist Church, with Audrey Wauson officiating. Burial will follow at Prairie Hill Cemetery. Ms. Massey was born Nov. 29, 1929, in Prairie Hill, Texas, to Lawrence Elmer and Mary Alice Massey. She graduated from Prairie Hill High School in 1947 and 4C College in Waco in 1948. She moved to Waco in 1949 and began working for the State Department of Public Welfare in 1950. She remained at the state agency which later became The Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services and, specifically Child Protective Services for 47 years. During that time, she was a beloved employee and saw a lot of changes in Waco. She retired in 1997. She also served as secretary for McLennan County Civil Defense Training Center and was honored for her assistance during the tragic August 4, 1952, bus crash on I 35, just north of Lorena. As a lover of animals, especially her beloved cats, she co-founded what is now the Humane Society of Central Texas as she sought a more humane method of housing stray animals. In 1997, she was instrumental in organizing a petition to drop a proposal to rename the Raleigh Hotel in downtown Waco, which housed the CPS offices where Ms. Massey worked. After her retirement she enjoyed travel with friends. She was married to Donald Ray McMinn prior to his death in 2010. She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Dorothy Francis Massey; and husband, Donald McMinn. She will be remembered for her kindness, humor, love of children, and love of her cats. A special thanks to her caregivers Daniela Marton and Sofia Marton and her longtime friend Gerald Hatfield.