Mary Kay Zen, affectionately known as “Katie” throughout her life, passed away on October 15, 2021 in Allen, Texas at the age of 65 after a six month battle with cancer. Born on December 21, 1955 to Morton and Vera (Keller) Gaddis in Louisville, Kentucky, she would later go on to make Texas her beloved home at the age of seventeen. It was at that young age that she married her high school sweetheart, Richard Eugene Mabery, and together they publicly acknowledged Jesus Christ as their Savior, were both baptized, and joined the Baptist Church. After four children and eighteen years of marriage, they divorced but remained friendly throughout the years. Katie later met and married Larry Allen Zen of Colorado on April 3, 1992. Their marriage brought Katie four stepchildren: Brandy, Kelly, Christopher, and Shane, whom she loved and cared for. Throughout their marriage, their work took them all over Texas and beyond but they eventually settled down in Cibolo, TX. Larry’s passion for Harleys became a hobby for them both and Katie truly loved taking rides through the Texas Hill Country on the back of his motorcycle … especially during the beautiful spring wildflower season when the rolling hills were carpeted with Bluebonnets. Larry tenderly called her “his sweetie” and they were blessed with many happy years before his unexpected passing in 2011. With her husband gone, Katie found joy by being a loving and devoted “Mimi” to her grandchildren and by having fulfilling friendships with her children, especially her daughters, Ember and Crissy. In recent years, she and Richard, “Ricky” as she called him, came together again and honored their great love, abiding friendship, and the life they had built so many years ago before, by becoming devoted friends and companions to one another. That friendship was a tremendous comfort to her in her final months and their children were very reassured by the fact that their parents had one another. They were even able to spend the last few Christmases together as a family with both parents for the first time in many years.
Katie was a kind and generous person. She derived immense pleasure from giving gifts and helping others. She especially loved doting on her grandbabies and she never arrived anywhere empty handed. Her generosity didn’t only extend to her family, though. It isn’t uncommon to find out about an incident where she secretly did something very kind for a total stranger. For instance, she once gave away her favorite pair of gold earrings because a lady she ran into at Walmart complemented them. She took them off and handed them over to the woman insisting that she keep and enjoy them. She could tell that the woman was likely very poor, and was touched by the sweetness of her compliment. That’s just one of many stories of her kindness. She was also a talented cook who prided herself on her “Southern Roots” style of cooking. Her Thanksgiving dinners were legendary and she would spend days preparing the feast. She loved Tex-Mex and any kind of cake, pie, or cookies. She had a great sense of style and although nothing could ever beat the comfort of her favorite pajamas, she also loved getting dressed up to go out and wherever she went she turned every single head. At 5’10 she was absolutely gorgeous. Her beautiful green eyes and sweet smile made her the most beautiful woman in any room. She loved going dancing and listening to music and she had a knack for making a house into a warm home where everyone was always welcome. She absolutely loved babies, they were her greatest joy, and she always said that the happiest times in her life were when her own children were babies. Babies and small children immediately loved her, even at the end of her life. Her youngest grandchild, Millie, was the last baby she ever held. Although she was very ill and frail at the time, Millie sweetly smiled and gave her Mimi kisses. All of her grandchildren dearly love her and she leaves a huge hole in their lives and will truly be missed. Thankfully, her loved ones are comforted and safe in the knowledge that she is undoubtedly at peace in Heaven where she is finally in the presence of our dear Lord and Savior. Katie was a very spiritual person who often spoke openly about the power of prayer and her love for Jesus. She believes that there were many instances in her life where God was truly present and offered her the comfort and care she needed. She would light up when she spoke about Jesus and when she imagined how it would feel to be in His holy presence. We can all be certain that as she left this world and entered into the Kingdom of Heaven she heard the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”
She is survived by daughter, Ember Florence and husband, Scott of McKinney, Texas; daughter, Crystal Mabery and husband, Jonathan Chapin, of Smithville, Texas; son, Richard Eugene Mabery, Jr. and wife, Patricia of Oklahoma; son, Jeffrey Allen Mabery and wife, Laura of Tomball, Texas; her stepdaughter Brandy Crites and husband Stephen of Abilene, Texas, stepsons Kelly Zen and Christopher Zen, twelve grandchildren, one great-grandchild, sixteen siblings, and her closest and most precious friend, Ricky.
Katie is preceded in death by her husband, Larry Zen, her stepson Shane Zen, her parents, and several siblings.
A memorial service officiated by Mark Forrest, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, October 21, 2021 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, 2525 Central Expressway North, Allen, Texas 75013. The service will also be live streamed at TJMfuneral.com on Katie's obituary page by clicking on the following link: https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/mary-kay-katie-zen. After the service, the recorded live stream will be available for viewing at the same link location. .