Mary Pirtle Scott

May 24, 1925 - January 31, 2017

Mary Pirtle was born May 24, 1925 in Ringgold, Texas (Clay County). She passed away on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 in Burleson, Texas. She was 91 years old. She was the fourth of ten children of Bud and Jessie Pirtle, who were farmers outside of Ringgold, Texas. As the family grew, Mary took her place in the family and was responsible and dependable. She was the best helper for her mother, cooking and sewing for an ever-growing brood. All her brothers and sisters remember her as the one who saw that they had nice clothes and precious little tokens of her affection. After Mary graduated from high school, she worked as a manager and window dresser for Lerners, a ladies ready to wear in Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City. She was poised for promotion when her father asked her to come home and help bring in the crop. Mary left her Lerner’s job and picked cotton. When she was paid, she took the little money she had and bought her mother a milk cow and purchased fabric to make her little sisters new dresses. Soon after, Mary married and brought Susie into the world. She was a doting mom, and was one of the earliest single, working moms in the area. She shared a home with her mother, Jessie, and Susie and worked at the A&P in Henrietta. People still remember Mary as one of the most personable, hard-working women in the store. After three years of courtship, she married Buram Scott. In 1960, they built a home in Prospect, Texas and created a new family. Mary and Buram ranched together and helped care for their aging parents. In 1964, Ken was born and made Mary and Buram the happiest parents in the world. They created a home that became the center of family get-togethers. Mary’s good cooking and Buram’s kindness to kinfolks, neighbors, and children of every sort made “going to Aunt Mary and Uncle Buram’s” the highlight of every holiday. When Susie married Eddie, children Stacy, Lisa, and Scott came along, and they made excellent playmates for Ken. Some twenty years later, Ken married Jennifer, and a grandson Alex was born to brighten the Scott world. Great-grandchildren Kyle, Kaleigh, and Matthew expanded the family, and the Scott house was once again full of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and few of us knew who was kin to whom. Every holiday was a feast made by Mary and her sisters and a never-ending rucus made by a house full of kids. Years later, Miles and Maggie came along to keep the family young. After Buram died, Mary made her home with Susie and Eddie. Because Mary was there, Susie and Eddie’s house became the place to go for family get-togethers. The last few years, as Mary’s health failed, she continued to be the glue that kept her extended family together. Her gift for giving, her great cooking, and her never-ending hospitality made Mary Scott a cherished daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother to an ever-grateful family. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, siblings W. A., James, Aline, Eugene, and Faye. Among those who will cherish her memory include her children Susanne Grace and husband Eddie of Fort Worth, Texas, Ken Alan Scott and wife Jennifer of Post Oak, Texas, sisters Frances Smith of Oklahoma City, Willeneo Grooms of Chico, Betty Monette of Austin, Alice Baker of Liberty Hill; grandchildren Stacy Koenig and husband John, Lisa Smith and husband Kevin, Scott Grace, Alex Scott; great-grandchildren Kyle, Kaleigh, Matthew, Miles, and Maggie; and many other extended family members and friends.