Mary Zandi Vanlandingham

Mary Zandi Vanlandingham, age 84, passed away Monday, September 18, 2023, after a hospital stay in Seguin, Texas. There will be a brief graveside service for family and close friends at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 29, at Oakwood Cemetery. All who knew and loved her, and the family are invited to pay their respects at a visitation from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Thursday, September 28, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey Funeral Home in Waco.

Mary was born September 9, 1939, in Waco, Texas. She was the only child of O.E. Mehnert and Estelle Mehnert. She had a natural gift for music that her family nurtured and in which she found her calling. She attended Waco public schools and graduated from Waco High School. She attended Baylor University and obtained her bachelor’s degree in music education. Even better, she met the love of her life, Larry Vanlandingham, who was studying for his master’s in percussion. They married and moved to Tallahassee, Florida where Larry continued his graduate studies at Florida State University.

After Larry earned his PhD, they returned to Waco where Larry taught on the faculty of the Baylor School of Music. Larry was a trusted mentor to many Baylor music graduates, and Mary worked hard to provide a family environment for his students, often welcoming them into their home for spaghetti dinners. As the years went on, she took great pride in seeing them excel in their musical careers across the globe and relished opportunities to see them perform. Mary raised their children and taught music to elementary students for decades at Dean Highland, Crestview Elementary, and Mountainview Elementary. She was the Children’s Choir Coordinator and sang in the sanctuary choir at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church, where she was a member. She retired in the early 2000s to spend time with her family and travel. She remembered with fondness the trip she and Larry took to Alaska before his health declined. She worked closely with her friend Linda Haskett on the Waco Children’s Theatre, and treasured those years when her grandchildren would come to stay with her to be a part of that camp experience.

She was a lifelong resident of Waco other than the few years she spent in Tallahassee and extended stays with her daughter and grandchildren at their ranch outside San Antonio. She was a Wacoan through and through. She grew up visiting her father working at Waco Hardware and going with him to Baylor baseball games. As long as her health allowed, she was a stalwart Lady Bears basketball fan and attended Waco Symphony concerts frequently with her friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, O.E. Mehnert and Estelle Mehnert; and her husband, Larry Vanlandingham.

Mary is survived by her son, Derek Vanlandingham; her daughter, Lara Tysinger and husband Alan; and her grandchildren, Elizabeth, Dylan, and Matthew Tysinger.

The family invites you to leave a message or memory on our “Tribute Wall” at WHBfamily.com.