Mary Louise Claunch

September 4, 1939 - October 1, 2018

Mary Louise Stewart Claunch was born in Sulphur Springs, Texas on September 4, 1939. Her parents were Clovis Edgar Stewart and Vallie Dodd Stewart. She died on October 1, 2018 at her home in Lindale, Texas at the age of 79. She graduated from High School in 1957, where she was a member of the National Honor Society and the (social) Hi-King Klub. She attended East Texas State Teacher’s College (now Texas A&M at Commerce) for two years, majoring in business. She was elected to the Alpha Lambda Delta society for scholarship, and was on the “Dean’s List” for three semesters. Mary Louise also belonged to two social clubs, Toowanoowe and the Bowsers. After two years at college, she went to work at her father’s public accounting firm in Sulphur Springs. In 1960, she moved to Dallas and found a job bookkeeping. There she met Charlie Claunch, who had finished with his duties as a Navy pilot and was crop-dusting near Paris, Texas. The two married in McAllen, Texas in 1963. Their first son, William Nathan Claunch, was born the next year. After more crop-dusting, Charlie decided another flying career might be more stable and safer, and was hired as a pilot by American Airlines. After training in Dallas, Charlie was stationed at LaGuardia Airport in New York for a few months, and then transferred to Nashville, Tennessee. In the next twenty something years, they enjoyed living in Donelson, just north of the Nashville airport. Their second son, David Stewart Claunch, was born in 1968. Mary Louise joined a young mothers’ group at their church, Andrew Price Methodist, where she made many life-long friends, and started her career as a volunteer. She became active in the church’s outreach to a local home for disabled children, worked in the church’s annual bazaar, helped with arts & crafts at the local elementary school, and was a Cub Scout den mother. She and two friends had a booth selling crafts at a yearly sale. She was interested in quilting and helped to start the Music City Quilters’ Guild. In the late 1980’s, with both sons committed to colleges in Texas (Bill to Baylor, and David to Trinity), Charlie & Mary Louise moved back “home” to Texas. Settling on 25 acres west of Lindale, she was gifted with her first pair of leather gloves and reluctantly learned to drive a tractor. Their country neighborhood consisted of several recently retired—but still young—couples, and they enjoyed pot-luck dinners, two-stepping and many adventures together. They joined the Lindale United Methodist Church and Mary Louise found new friends in the Busy Bees quilting group. When not flying for American Airlines, Charlie enjoyed owning and flying various small airplanes. The two took many trips to visit friends and family. She enjoyed water-skiing, snorkeling, and cruises. Though she never learned to fly, one of Mary Louise’s proudest accomplishments was learning to do a snap roll in a two-seat acrobatic Pitts Special airplane. In 1989, Mary Louise joined the Quilters’ Guild of East Texas, meeting in Tyler. There she made many new friends and honed her quilting skills. She was co-chairman of the annual Azalea Quilt Show for two years, and later president of the Quilters’ Guild for two years. She was elected a Life Member of the Guild in 2003. In early 1992, local Lindale citizens banded together to bring a library to Lindale. Mary Louise helped to found the Friends of the Lindale Library and in a few years, served as their president. Later, the Lindale Library Board of Directors was formed, and she was president of the board for a few years. She started volunteering at the library when it opened in late l993, and worked two days each week for the next twenty-one years. She wrote the weekly Lindale Newspaper library column, and helped publicize fund-raising events. She was pre-deceased by her parents, and by a brother Robert Eugene Stewart. She is survived by her husband of 55 years, her son Bill Claunch and wife Sally of Arlington, Texas; her son David Claunch and wife Susan and two grandsons, Will and Alex Claunch of Austin, Texas; her sister Joyce McPherson of Sulphur Springs; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Visitation with the family will be on Saturday, October 6 from noon until 2:00pm at Caudle-Rutledge-Daugherty Funeral Home in Lindale. Funeral services will be held immediately following the visitation with Bro. Herschel Sanders officiating. Interment will follow at the Restlawn Cemetery in Sulphur Springs, Texas. If you wish, please make any memorial donations to the Lillie Russell Memorial Library, P. O. Box 1570, Lindale, TX 75771.