Mary Gervais

Mary Joan (MJ) Lacock Gervais

MJ passed away on January 20, 2016 with her husband, Dick, and two of their sons, as well as two very close friends at her side.  She had recently celebrated her 80th birthday.

MJ was born in Washington, PA/ (known as “Little Washington”) on December 29th 1935.  This was also the birthplace of both of her parents.  The family later moved to Akron, Ohio where MJ was raised.  She loved being in her high school band and was elected as the head majorette in her senior year.  She marched many time in the famous Rubber bowl in Akron.

In her junor year at Miami University (Ohio) she met her husband to be, Dick Gervais, a senior at Miami.  MJ was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and Dick a member of Delta Upsilon fraternity.  It was clearly a match for a lifetime, and they were married the following September (1956).  It was a short honeymoon since Dick was inducted into the Army just ten days later.  They were stationed at Fort Gordon in Augusta, GA.

Following military service Dick joined Procter and Gamble and later, General Foods Corp. Combined, this resulted in 16 moves, and they lived in nine different states.  MJ made these transfers easy on all the family by making good friends wherever they lived and being certain the boys stayed active.  Since each son was born in a different state (Scott in Georgia, Steve in Pennsylvania, and David in New Jersey.) any accent they may have is a blend of those flavors.  On retirement they moved back to Texas where two of their son’s had bailed out before Mom and Dad’s last move back to Connecticut. 

The final move to Texas was the easiest since MJ had made many friends when they lived in Arlington seven years earlier.  She has been a long time member of the Suburban Woman’s Club in Arlington, as a secretary and later as the newsletter editor.  Those relationships and many new friends were the result of MJ’s ability to make friends easily.  Her smile preceded her wherever she went, and her gift of placing everyone else’s needs before her own made friendships easy and long lasting. 

She loved playing canasta, bridge and bunko, and belonged to several groups who also enjoyed the games.  All furry creatures were welcomed into her life, and she closely bonded with the pets she and the family owned over the years.  Her new dog, Lexie, continues to watch through the window, waiting “Mom’s return.

MJ loved her job as a Mom and that same love carried over as a grandmother to three fantastic grandchildren.  She was ‘Gammy’ to two grandchildren and ‘Mimi’ to another (due to one young grandchild teaching the newest one how to say gammy—ended up as Mimi.)  MJ would spend time playing board games, going to movies, eating out, and clothes shopping with them.  Gammy’s special pancakes with chocolate chips, whipped cream and cherries on top were always a favorite on the house menu.

She will be missed by so many, but we are all comforted in the knowledge that she’s already been reunited with family members, old friends and made more friends in her new home in Heaven.

MJ was preceded in death by her parents, Hazel and Wayne Lacock of Akron, Ohio.  Survivors: Husband, Dick, Sons: Scott, Steve, David.  Grandchildren: Joshua, Briauna, and Chloe.  Brother-in-law, William Gervais.  Daughters-in-law Leslie and Leah Gervais, and her close friend and cousin, Diana Housman of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 10am at First United Methodist Church, 313 N. Center Street Arlington TX  76011.

Please no flowers at this time.