Mary Burrows

Mary Burrows (née McCullough) of Tomball, Texas passed away peacefully at Tomball Regional Hospital on July 6th, 2018. She was preceded in death by her husband John M. Burrows. She is survived by sister Roberta Kernoghan (Jim) of Belfast, Northern Ireland, her two sons, John D. Burrows (Angie) of Magnolia, Texas and R. Desmond Burrows (Stacie) of Topanga, California, brother-in-law Paul D. Burrows (Jane), and five grandchildren: Dalton, Trevor, Charlotte, James, and Charles.

Mary was born in Doagh, County Antrim, June 19th, 1937 to Robert McCullough and Margaret Surgeoner. She attended Ballyclare Primary School and faced the hardships of WWII. In 1955, her mother passed away.

In 1961, on board the Empress of England bound for Canada, she met John Burrows. They married in 1962 and remained dedicated to one another until his passing in 2011. She shared John's love of sports cars and became a competitive rally car driver.

Her first son, John Douglas was born in Salisbury, Rhodesia in 1968. Four years later, she would have a second son, Robert Desmond. Mary managed the farm and cared for her children while her husband fought in Rhodesia's Bush War. She discovered a life-long passion for teaching.

In 1983, the family moved to Tomball, Texas. Mary quickly became a beloved member of the community and joined her church family. Her teaching career blossomed at Step-by-Step Christian School.

Retirement did nothing to slow Mary down. She became a church elder and choir member of First Presbyterian Church of Tomball, a volunteer at Tomball Emergency Assistance Ministries (TEAM), and stayed active in The Potpourri Club and the Red Hat Society. Mary maintained excellent physical fitness. At 80, she completed a multi-day hike on the Appalachian Trail.

Her short battle with pancreatic cancer ended close to home in Tomball, peacefully, with her boys at hand.

Whether you knew her as Honey, Mary, Mrs. B, Granny B, Miss Mary, Biddy or Mummy, you have come to know, respect, admire, and love her strong independent spirit.

A memorial service will be held at Tomball Presbyterian Church, 30410 Tomball Parkway, Tomball, Texas 77375 on Sunday, July 22nd, 2018 at 2pm.

In loving memory of Mary from her sister Roberta, Jim, nieces, Yolande, Leigh, Janice and families:

We have many happy memories of Mary's frequent visits to Ireland when the extended family would get together to welcome her "home." These gatherings generally ended up with everyone reminiscing for hours of her childhood spent on her grandfather's (Robert McCullough) farm in Doagh. Mary will be sorely missed by all of us. FAMILY MEMORIES LAST A LIFETIME.