Maura Glennon Darrouzet

1926 - 2017

DARROUZET, Maura Glennon Maura Glennon Darrouzet was born in Birr, County Offaly Ireland on January 5, 1926 to Sean Glennon and Bridget (Hogan) Glennon. She died at home on August 15, 2017 surrounded by her family. She grew up in Birr and attended secondary school at Dominican College boarding school in Dublin, also known as Eccles Street. While in boarding school her aunt, a Dominican nun, introduced her to a pen pal, a young naval officer from Galveston, Texas. His name was Jacques Patrick Darrouzet. They corresponded throughout WWII. In 1948 she travelled to NYC and decided to "drop down" to Austin to meet her pen pal. As she would say later, her decision changed her entire life. Within hours of her arrival in Austin Jacques proposed and they were married December 23, 1948. They honeymooned driving across Texas to decide where they would live when he graduated from law school. In the end, she never really considered anywhere but Austin. They lived on the "high road" during the drought of the 50's. Maura would talk of one of her favorite wedding anniversary gifts being an air conditioner. She taught school at St. Austin's, was a stay at home mother, a writer and always a student. She attended UT and St. Edwards and took classes that were as diverse as her interests. She finally decided to get a degree in 1985. In 1964 she won the Mademoiselle Magazine short story of the year award for her story "From Dublin's Fair City". Doubleday became her publisher. Her first novel published in 1968, was "No More Septembers", followed by a 2nd novel "The Waiting Time" and publications in various journals and magazines. Jacques would comment that even as a teenage pen pal she had a gift for writing. In retirement she and Jacques traveled through Europe by car and spent many joyous times in Ireland. It took her a couple of years to rebound after Jacques died in 1999. Eventually, she was able to go on and many great parties were had with what lovingly became known as the "Irish contingent". She was predeceased by her parents, her siblings Seamus, Bridget (Deacon) and Sean Glennon. She is survived by her daughter Deirdre Maura Darrouzet and Joe James Sawyer, and her sister, Ita Cahill and her husband John Cahill of Roscrea Ireland and many nieces and nephews.