Marylee Spangler Labar

Marylee Spangler Labar, beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on November 5, 2025, in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 82.
Marylee was born on February 5, 1943, to Robert Lee Spangler and Mary Virginia "Ginger" Cloud Spangler. She grew up in La Feria, Texas, where she was active in tennis, cheerleading, and basketball. Her passion for basketball was noted by one of her friends, who described her as "a crazy basketball player." She advanced to state in doubles tennis and loved cheering on her beloved La Feria Lions. She also enjoyed spending time on South Padre Island-beachcombing, fishing, and sailing.
She married James Paul "Jimmy" Labar on December 28, 1961. Together they built a loving home filled with faith, laughter, love, and a special emphasis on family-both immediate and extended. They often hosted church gatherings and family reunions; once, they even hosted a La Feria Lions reunion. The Calvary Baptist Church youth group frequently met in their home for mission work and fellowship.
Marylee also taught English language learners for several years at Valley Baptist Academy, a mission outreach high school that served students from South America and the Caribbean. She cooked Sunday dinners for her family and church pastors and loved baking cookies to share with family, friends, and staff at Preston Tower, where she learned to play Mah Jongg.
Marylee loved art. She and Jimmy collected artwork and traveled to many art shows and museums throughout their lives. She intently studied clouds and the moon, taking photographs of their light patterns and colors and sharing them with her children as a reminder to appreciate nature. She painted landscapes-especially of the Texas Hill Country and bluebonnets. Her love of beauty and the natural world combined with her creativity, resulting in many floral arrangements and decorations for special events.
She is survived by her children: Jamie Labar, Melissa Labar Kilgore (Jim), Virginia Labar (Niels Cordes), and Stephen Labar (Kim); her beloved grandchildren: Allyson (Justin Hasson), Michael Kilgore, and Cameron Labar; and her newest joy, great-grandson Noah Hasson.
A celebration of life will be held in Dallas, TX and Harlingen, TX. Further arrangements are pending. Family and friends are invited to gather to share memories and honor her beautiful life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the Rio Grande Valley Literacy Center, or God's Global Barnyard (https://goodgifts.elca.org).
Marylee's love and devotion to family and friends will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction and care of Rudy Garza Funeral Home of Harlingen Texas.