Mary Ruth Willis
Funeral Services for Mary Ruth Willis, 92, of Brownfield, will be held at 10 am Thursday, March 30, 2023 at the Brownfield Funeral Home Chapel, officiated by Rev. Chris Seaton. Interment will follow at Terry County Memorial Cemetery. There will be no public viewing, however, the family will have Visitation from 5 pm to 7 pm Wednesday, March 29, 2023 at Brownfield Funeral Home.
Mary was born March 7, 1931 in Clovis, New Mexico to Hazel and Mittie Petree of Farwell, Texas. She graduated from Farwell High School, and later graduated from Eastern New Mexico University with a BA degree in Business and Economics, with a major in accounting. She married Air Force Lieutenant James B. Willis in 1953 in Portales, New Mexico. Shortly afterward, James was transferred to Germany, where she joined him six month later. While in Europe, they traveled extensively. After returning to the States, they spent the next forty years traveling to all 50 states, mainly in the latter years of James’ life. Mary was a homemaker, and she loved to read, sew, and garden. She was devoted to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Brownfield where she taught children’s Sunday School for several years.
Mary is preceded in death by her husband, James, her parents, and her brother H.W. “Pete” Petree. She is survived by her children, Ricky Willis (Jo), Gary Willis (Jackie) of Andrews, and Cindy Wilson (Rusty) of Lubbock; grandchildren, Tyler Avary (Blake), Kaci Scott (Jason), Jordan Willis (Kendall) of Fort Worth, Mackenzie Nunez of San Antonio, Lindsay Perez (Trey) of Lubbock, and Keeli Bergara of Lubbock; 15 great-grandchildren; and sister, Hazel Taute of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the staffs at Cottage Village and Interim Hospice of Brownfield, and to Dr. Donald Quick and staff in Lubbock, as well as Dr. Shane Hord and Kim Franke of Brownfield.
In honor of Mary, please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice.
