Mary Ann Adam Bancroft

MARY ANN ADAM BANCROFT, 86, long-time resident of Houston, passed away Wednesday, July 1, 2009. A memorial service for Mary Ann will be held on Monday, July 27, at 2 p.m. at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, 12955 Memorial Drive, Houston. She was an active member of the Seekers and Bridgebuilders at MDUMC. Mary Ann was born Dec. 8, 1922, in Marlin, Texas to David Adam and his wife Ottilie (Haug) Adam. After four sons and a daughter (who died in infancy), Mary Ann was a late-life gift to her parents and older brothers. Her merchant-tailor father died when she was only five years old, so she was raised by her mother. They were very close and struggled through the Depression years together in Marlin. After graduating from Marlin High School in 1940, Mary Ann moved to Houston to attend business school. She worked in Houston during the early 1940's as a secretary for various companies, including United Gas. She joined the Corps Club, a Houston organization that supported our troops during World War II, and met her future husband, a Baylor University medical student, whom she married on Nov. 11, 1944. The couple served in the Navy for 7 years, eventually settling in Houston. As their family grew, Mary Ann successfully managed a large household, including the family budget, helped her husband develop a large medical practice in Houston, and raised their four children. After 36 years of marriage, a divorce occurred and Mary Ann reentered the Houston workforce. She was employed by Great Southern Life Insurance Company. Her loyalty and dependability earned her many employee awards. After 12 years, she retired from Philadelphia American Life as Supervisor of Word Processing. For over 25 years, Mary Ann was a representative for Vanda Beauty Counselor skincare and cosmetics. She built a large base of clients whom she considered not just customers but her friends. A top saleswoman year after year, she received many Vanda Beauty Counselor awards, including Sales Representative of the Year. During those years, Mary Ann was an active member of American Businesswomen's Association (ABWA) and of Entre Nous Society. Mary Ann was a faithful wife and a loving mother to their three daughters and son. By her example, they learned honor, responsibility and independence. God opened many doors for Mary Ann, and, in her words, she "gratefully walked through them." Mary Ann is preceded in death by her parents, four brothers, and her sister, as well as her daughter Brenda Bancroft. She is survived by her daughter Milanne Bancroft of Oak Park IL; daughter Kay Bancroft Harris and husband Dale of Lafayette IN; and son Charles Russell Bancroft of Houston; her grandchildren, Matthew Johnson of Houston, Adam Harris of San Francisco CA, and Rebecca Palmer of Oak Park, IL; and great-grandson, Charles Tiernan Johnson of San Diego CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to MDUMC, Caring Forever Foundation General Fund, 12955 Memorial Drive, Houston TX 77079.