Mary Jo Mccarthy Brown

A remembrance of the life of Mary Jo McCarthy Brown, 78, of Lufkin will be held Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. in the Carroway Funeral Home Chapel. Interment will follow in the Narrow Way Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of her former student, Roy Carroway, Jr.

Mary Jo passed from this life on April 15, 2016, at Prestonwood Court in Plano, after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease. After living most of her life in Lufkin, Mary Jo moved to Henderson in 2000, and then to Plano several years later.

Mary Jo was born in San Antonio, Texas on September 7, 1937, the only child of the late F. Gerald McCarthy, the son of Irish immigrants, and Josie M. Bellows, whose great-grandfather, one of the first Texas Rangers, helped liberate Texas at San Jacinto. After graduating with highest honors from Breckenridge High School in 1955, Mary Jo attended Trinity University on an academic scholarship, where she served as an editor of the school publications. Involved in many groups, honor societies and activities in college, Mary Jo was a founder of the Sigma Theta Tau local sorority at Trinity in 1955, where she served as an officer until leaving Trinity during her junior year.
Mary Jo married a Korean War veteran, Carey M. Brown of Lufkin, on June 1, 1958, whom she had met while he was stationed in San Antonio. They were married for almost 42 years, until Carey’s untimely passing. Together, they raised a son and two daughters in their hometown.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1960, where she was elected to Alpha Chi Honor Society. She also did post-graduate work at SFA. Mary Jo was a teacher, first at Hudson ISD, and then at Lufkin High School, where she retired as a Speech, Drama, and Debate coach after almost 25 years in the profession. She also tutored and mentored many students. Mary Jo was a past president of the Lufkin Garden Club and had a lifelong passion for growing beautiful flowers and plants. In her early years in Lufkin, she was active in community theatre and was a patron of the Community Concert series.
Upon her retirement from teaching, Mary Jo continued her love of travel, often accompanied by her children and her close friends. She toured the world…from Ireland to Greece. She was also a prolific writer of prose and short stories. She started several books before becoming ill.
She was known for her commitment to diet and good health and was a regular at LiveWell in Lufkin.
Mary Jo approached every new day with vigor. She was devoted to her family, friends, and her students. She never met a stranger and she had a passion for enhancing the life of every child who came into her classroom. She would never allow a bright student to be mediocre in performance; nor would she allow a child who had learning challenges to be left behind. She is responsible for several students attending the service academies and countless others graduating with high school diplomas when many had given up on them.
She loved life and saw every day as a new opportunity to do something very well. She placed high value on words: written, spoken, sung, debated, acted, and even danced to. She was true to her Irish roots.
A lifelong Catholic, Mary Jo was a longtime and active member of the parish at St. Patrick Church in Lufkin and became a supporter of St. Andrew the Apostle before moving to Henderson.

Mary Jo survived by her son, Russell Clay Brown and his wife Kelly of Henderson; her daughters, Cynthia Leigh (Cyndi) Brown Griffith and husband Randy of Plano and Laurie Melissa (Missy) Brown Hillesheim of Dallas; grandchildren, Katy Brown of Dallas, Clay Brown of Henderson, Tom Brown of College Station, Drew and Caroline Griffith of Plano, and William, Owen, and Henry Hillesheim of Dallas. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Jim B. Brown and wife Judy of Spring Branch; sisters-in-law, Patricia Brittain Brown and Judy Brown Burgess, both of Lufkin.

Active pallbearers will be her grandsons. Honorary pallbearers will be her former students.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Narrow Way Cemetery Association, P.O. Box 61, Lufkin, Texas 75902.

Memories and condolences may be added at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.
Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.