“T”, our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, went home to her Heavenly Father on April 16, 2016, weeks shy of her 93rd birthday. Preceded in death by her husband James McKellar Towery, those who will cherish her memory include her son, Kelly (Anne); daughter, Laura; three grandsons: Todd (Wendy) Hall, Chad (Chimme) Hall, and Beau (Adrienne) Hall; seven great-grandchildren: Makenzie, Tristan, Sloane, Max, and Sawyer Hall, and Reece and Jett Hickson; and her brother, Bill (Anne) Ables. Others who will deeply mourn her loss include longstanding friends Bobby and Mary Allen of Jackson, MS; a host of caring friends from the Chateau in McKinney where she lived in recent years, and the community of the church of Christ on McDermott Road.
Born and raised in rural Tennessee, in 1944 she married Kel, her childhood sweetheart, and in the years which followed welcomed two children, Kelly and Laura, as together they moved from coast to coast while he served in the U.S. Navy.
A fabulous cook and superb seamstress, she drew upon those skills as well as the strength of her character and faith as she lovingly nurtured her own young family, and those of many of Kel’s colleagues, throughout his naval career. The friendships forged during this period and when the family later moved to Jackson, Mississippi upon retirement from the Navy, brought her great joy throughout her life.
In 1991, the magnetic pull of her grandson’s love instigated their move from Mississippi to Texas to live near Laura’s family of growing boys. In McKinney, she enjoyed being actively involved in Todd, Chad and Beau’s many sporting activities and relished her role as surrogate grandmother to an extended group of the boys’ friends who knew her heart – and her door – was always open to them. Any meal in her home, especially Sunday dinner with its customary accompanying cornbread, was legendary for its abundance, variety and the love and laughter shared around her table.
She had the great privilege of watching her family grow when Todd, Chad and Beau each married, and subsequently treasured the extraordinary gift of welcoming and cherishing each of her great-grandchildren who loved sharing a book, puzzle or some plain old-fashioned fun and silliness each time they were with her.
“T-Bird”, as she was affectionately known to her family, was the moral, spiritual and social glue which bound them together and nothing made her happier than to be in their company. When it was time to part, always too soon to her way of thinking, any family gathering customarily came to a close with abundant hugs, kisses and a resounding, repetitive chorus of, “Love you, T-Bird”! Today, as we gather to say our final goodbyes, her family asks that you join them in echoing that sentiment: “Love you, T-Bird”!
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 20, 2016, at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Chapel in Allen, Texas. Interment will follow at Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen. The family will receive friends during a visitation from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m., Tuesday evening at the funeral home.