Mary Wadsworth Hooker

MARY WADSWORTH TREMAINE HOOKER Mary Wadsworth Tremaine Hooker, 82, of Waco died Saturday, December 7, 2002 at a local hospital. Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, December 11, 2002, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church with the Rev. Jason Haddox officiating. Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. at Oakwood Cemetery. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home, 6101 Bosque Blvd., is in charge of arrangements. Mrs. Hooker was born August 26, 1920 in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Arthur Edward and Margaret Leighton Tremaine. Mary attended schools in Belmont, Massachusetts, Augusta, Maine and Bangor, Maine, graduating from Bangor High in 1937. She received a Teachers Certificate from what is now Husson College in Bangor and taught three years in Lee, Maine. In 1942, she moved with her family to Kingston, Rhode Island and worked for the Executive Officer of Naval Construction Training Center SEABEES during World War II. It was during this time that she met J. Tanner Hooker, the Assistant Executive Officer at the training center. They married in February 1944 and celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary before Tanner’s death in June of last year. They spent much of their retired life enjoying friends and family in Rockport. Mary and Tanner moved to Waco in 1946, where Tanner owned and operated Hooker Construction Co. and Mary became extensively involved in numerous community and church activities. She was an active member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Waco, serving as Chairman of Women of the Church, Chairman of Altar Guild and Chairman of St. Margaret’s Guild. She also cooked for Meals on Wheels, was a member of the Junior League of Waco and the Brazos Forum Board, served on the Boards of Directors of Camp Fire Girls, Crippled Children’s Hospital, and Oakwood Cemetery, and was Chairman of Evangelia Settlement’s Board. Mary was active in Cotton Palace activities, serving as Chairman of the Pageant, Court Chairman and 1981 General Chairman of the Cotton Palace Pageant. Mary enjoyed close friendships in her Tuesday bridge club, Thursday study club and Mah Jongg group. Survivors include two daughters, Margaret Aura Collis and husband Donald D. of Austin and Mary Lynn Hooker of Pottsboro; two grandsons, David Tanner Collis and Christopher Leighton Collis of Austin; brother, Richard Leighton Tremaine and wife Betty of California; nieces, Pamela Hooker Arthur of Austin, Sandra Lee Snouffer of Dallas, Susan Carol Reznick of California, and Kathryn Margaret Tremaine of California; nephew, Charles Daugherty Tremaine of California; and great nephews, Tanner and Gardner Harris of Austin and Tommy Tullous of Dallas. Honorary pallbearers will be Carl Barrett, Spencer Brown, Sid Castleberry, Charles Gervig, Walter D. Hunter, Edgar Jablonowski, James H. Miller, Paul Murphy, R.D. Patillo, James Scruggs and Peter Simmon. Memorials may be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Hillcrest Community Hospice or a favorite charity.