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Mary Kay Cottingham

Mary Cottingham Obituary

Mary Kay Cottingham, age 45, of Houston, passed away early Friday morning, the 4th of August 2006, after a 29-year battle against diabetes and diabetic complications. A joyous, beautiful person, Mary Kay brought strength, grace and faith to every challenge she faced. "The depth of our love for Mary Kay can only be surpassed by our depth of gratitude to all of our friends who over the years have shown such a resounding commitment of friendship during her life." Preceded in death by her father, Erwin Cottingham, Jr., Mary Kay is survived by her mother, Kitty Cottingham; brother, Cot Cottingham; sister, Henrietta Cottingham; and by her loving guide, Mel. On Monday morning, the 7th of August, the family will gather for a private Rite of Committal service at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston. A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at half-past ten o'clock in the morning on Monday, the 7th of August, at St. Michael Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Road in Houston, with the Rev. Msgr. Frank H. Rossi, the Rev. John Rooney, and the Rev. Joseph Loc D. Phan as concelebrants. Immediately following the service, all are invited to join the family for a reception in the adjacent Parish Life Center. In lieu of usual remembrances, contributions in memory of Mary Kay may be directed to the Houston Gulf Coast Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International, 2425 Fountain View Dr., Suite 280, Houston, TX, 77057; Guide Dogs for the Blind, P. O. Box 151200, San Rafael, CA, 94915; or to Life Gift, 5615 Kirby Dr., Houston, 77005.

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Published by Houston Chronicle from Aug. 5 to Aug. 6, 2006.

Memories and Condolences
for Mary Cottingham

22 Entries

Deanne Sheer

August 29, 2006

Dear Kitty, Cot and Henrietta,

I am so very sorry for your loss, as Mary Kay's departure from this earth is a loss to us all. There is now one more angel on our shoulders! She was my lucky charm while recruiting walk teams for JDF, and was instrumental in the success of the 1994 Walk for the Cure. She showed me what courage looks like, she radiated light and love, and was a true friend. I will miss her...

Donna Buffington

August 25, 2006

Dear Kitty, Henrietta, Cot and Mel,

I don't think I can put into words the amount of admiration I have had for Mary Kay over the years. It has been about 15 years since we first met at CCRC in Austin. We became instant friends. Dean and I have fond memories of the times we shared with Mary Kay and Madison. Mary Kay's dedication to friendship was very rare and special. We have missed her dearly over the past 9 years since moving to Colorado. Although, we didn't get to talk enough over the years, I hope she knew we loved her and missed her. Please know that she will be missed by many and remembered always. May God comfort you through this difficult time.

Love Donna, Dean and Avery Buffington

Sharon Emde

August 24, 2006

I feel so lucky to have known Mary Kay the short time that I did. She was a breath of fresh air to work with and had an unbelievable strength and resillency. I was shocked to hear the news as I had just run into her a few weeks ago. It was by grace that I got to see her again. My prayers are with her beautiful family.

Kristen Dolsen

August 23, 2006

Dear Kitty, Henrietta and Cot,

I know you all know what a special friend Mary Kay was to all The Jewells. She was such an inspiration to me---her strength was beyond words and her spirit was relentless. I smile when thinking of our Robert greeting her at the pearly gates. What a dance they are doing together now.

My love to you all,

Kristen Jewell Dolsen

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Susan C.

August 17, 2006

Dear Kitty, Henrietta, and Mel,

Bear hugs to you three, and heart-hugs to Mary Kay and Madison, who are enjoying leisurely walks in heaven without a service-dog harness.

The friends whose writing precedes mine express my sentiments well, both as to Mary Kay's wonderful qualities, which surely live on, and regarding her amazingly supportive family.

What always impressed me, besides MK's courage and cheer, was her close relationship with you, Henrietta. Despite the many miles between Seattle and Houston, you always made your sister feel extra special, and deservingly so.

I also have great admiration for you, Kitty, a mom who was as quietly resilient in the face of hardship as your daughter, who endured so much. That you and Mel are able to remain together, at MK's behest, touches me deeply, dog-lover that I am.

May your family feel the comfort of God's love at this time, and always,

Amy Cortez Memorial Home Health

August 8, 2006

Cottingham family,

I was saddened to learn of Mary Kay's passing today and wanted to send my condolences. I was fortunate to take care of Mary Kay for a few short months and get to know her. She was a wonderful person and part of a great family. I also enjoyed getting to know Mel, Kitty and Henrietta. I know she will be truly missed; Heaven will be a better place with her in it.

Johnnie Taylor

August 8, 2006

Kitty and Cot,

I just heard of Mary Kay's passing and wanted you both to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and also Henrietta. How blessed was Mary Kay to have such a loving and supportive family? I know you all helped create the best life she could have had. She will be missed but you have a lot of memories to fall back on when you remember your loving daughter and sister. May God be with you at this time. All my love, Johnnie Taylor

Kitty Edwards

August 7, 2006

Dear MRs. Cottingham and family,

Please accept my deepest sympathy. I have fond memories of being in church youth group with Mary Kay and also enjoyed playing softball with her. I remember her always being sweet and fun to be with. You are all in my prayers.

Sincerely,

Kitty (Goeters) Edwards

Melva Chambliss

August 7, 2006

Family Of Mary Kay,

Mary Kay was a pledge sister(Beta) of mine at SWT. We were involved in soroity activities and were close but our true friendship began when I contacted her regarding a ZTA reunion several years ago. Amazing and a true gift from God to all are the words that come to my mind when I think of her. We both had illnesses and comforted each other and laughed together. She wrote me about her experiences when Madison was retired and she was getting her new eye dog. What an inspiration she was to so many people!

I realize words can not fill the void you feel in your heart. Please be comforted in knowing she is no longer in pain and in a place of pure sweet love and beauty.

Sincerely,

Melva Moody Chambliss

Joanie Wentz

August 7, 2006

Kitty, please know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Sweet Mary Kay could light up the room with her smile! She was one of my greatest friends when I worked at JDF. She has been such an inspiration to all of us. She taught us how to live life with courage, joy, optimism, generosity and humor. I have thought about her a lot over the years since leaving JDF. I am blessed to have been touched by her life. Heaven is a brighter place tonight.

Missy Drake Hays

August 7, 2006

Dear Cottingham family,

I am so sorry for your loss. I was a Zeta with Mary Kay at Southwest Texas State and remember her as always smiling and cheerful. We had a ZTA reunion this past April and everyone was asking about Mary Kay. Her presence was greatly missed. What an awesome woman. I will continue to pray for strength for your family.

Dyer Greer

August 7, 2006

Cot-

I'm so sorry for your loss and for my loss of a friend as well. Mary Kay had great spirit and cheerfulness and I will miss her a great deal.

Karen Dolezal (Kimmey)

August 7, 2006

I'm sorry for your loss. I was a KA Little Sister with Mary Kay, and she was always a very happy and fun person to be around. You and your family are in my prayers.

Andrea Snoddy

August 7, 2006

Cot:

We're so sorry for your loss. Mary Kay is the true definition of Survivor. What a wonderful person she was. Mary Kay was very blessed to have such a devoted brother, and an unselfish caretaker...not to mention a BEST FRIEND! You and your family are in our prayers.

With love,

Andrea & Jim Snoddy

Ellen (Buie) Kelly

August 6, 2006

Henrietta,

I am so sorry to hear about MaryKay. She was always so friendly to me. I remember sleep overs at your house, and thinking Mary Kay was so funny and clever! She was a great role model for us!

You are especially in my thoughts and please give Cot and your mom a special hello from me.

Ellen Kelly

Dave R

August 6, 2006

I feel honored to have known Mary Kay Cottingham. She was a truly brave soul... her journey through so much pain and struggle will continue to inspire those whose lives she touched. With love to MK and her family,

Joycelyn Marek

August 6, 2006

Dear family and friends of Mary Kay, we will all miss Mary Kay so much. From the first time we met through JDRF activities, I gathered strength from her courage. That's why I was so pleased when she was one of the strong women featured in the Alley Theatre's Steel Magnolia's exhibit. She was truly a courageous inspiration to us all and now we will all be even more committed to the cure for diabetes and it's complications. The quote below accompanied her beautiful photo with Mel during the exhibit. “We call them complications, but maybe they are like ribbons from God. This one for patience, that one for valor. One for sharing all that she’s learned on the way….maintaining joy. Not medals exactly, but signs of an unshakable faith. Not everyone gets to be this strong.”

Carol Rowley

August 5, 2006

Kitty,

We are so deeply saddened to hear of the news of Mary Kay. Her strength and determination in finding the cure has pushed many of us to work harder and harder to help her in that quest. Caroline, of course, adored Mary Kay, as we all did, but from a very different perspective. Her perspective was of this gritty, wonderful woman with whom she so identified. We will miss her so much ... I can only feel comfort in knowing she will at last meet my Mother, Caroline's Grandmother, and I know they will be fast and long friends in heaven. We love you Mary Kay.

Molly Naylor

August 5, 2006

I remember not long after I joined JDRF's Speaker's Bureau with Mary Kay, she commented to me that she was always afraid that she was the worst nightmare of people like me who had young children with diabetes. But really she was our greatest hope. Until I met Mary Kay, my worst nightmare had always been that my Brad would lose his vision or end up on dialysis. But once I knew Mary Kay, I knew that even if Brad did end up living with those complications, he could have a life of joy and love and laughter. Mary Kay gave me an enormous gift of relief from dread just by living the life that she did.

Don Aron

August 5, 2006

My wife, SueSue joins me in expressing our sarrow and disbelief about the loss of our friend and coheart Mary Kay.

She was a wonderful person who endured so much in her short life.

Mary Kay was always a tropper and helped with any task or chore, smiling and giving words of encouragement to others.

Our family has been involved in JDF since 1970 and loved your daughter.

We are away in NYC and will not be returning till next week, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

Don Aron

Robert & Marcia Locher

August 5, 2006

Mary Kay-

When I think about you all I can do is smile to be fortunate to call you my friend. The world will be a smaller place without you here but Heaven got a most wonderful angel in return. You will always be a special person and we'll see you again. We can all learn from your heart, soul and spirit.

Liz Green

August 5, 2006

Cott,

I'm so sorry to hear about Mary Kay. I lost my sister when she was sixteen and the greatest comfort is remembering the wonderful times we shared. You and your family are in my prayers.

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