Obituary of Marie Katharine Witte Garner

Marie Katharine Witte Garner, 88, had a joyful reunion in Heaven with her Husband Charles, and her Parents and Sister and many other Loved Ones, on Sunday, October 2, 2016. Marie was born at home in League City, Texas on October 14, 1927, to Lester Ed-ward Witte and Anna Julia (Annie) Trcka Witte. Because her hair was golden blond, a neighbor commented that it looked like the nearby fields of wheat and Marie should be called “Weetsie”—that nickname remained with her throughout her life. Marie always spoke fondly of her childhood—riding horses, milking cows, chasing chick-ens, fishing for crawdads, battling with chinaberries, churning homemade ice cream, en-joying family volleyball games. She graduated from League City High School in 1944, at the age of 16. She was Captain of the Volleyball team, and Salutatorian of her Class. She was elected, as a Junior, Sweetheart of the May Day Parade from League City. In 1944, at the age of 16, Marie met Charles Garner from Dickinson, Texas, who was a 19-year-old Sophomore at Texas A & M University. In the Fall of 1944, Marie attended Our Lady of The Lake College in San Antonia, where the Sisters of Divine Providence did an amazing job introducing Marie to Catholic education, for which she was very grateful. Charles joined the Navy, and just before he was shipped out he called Marie at College and asked her to wait for him; Marie responded, “But Charles I am only 17—I am too young,” to which Charles responded, “If that’s the way you feel…” and hung up. Still, Charles and Marie wrote each other many loving letters during his deployment to the Pacific Theater—many of the letters were saved over the years and are cherished treasures to this day. During the Summer of 1945, at the age of 17, Marie worked at the Hall Insurance Agen-cy in Dickinson, Texas; Marie always said that Walter and Helen Hall were very generous to have offered her the job. Marie did not return to Our Lady of the Lake College in the Fall of 1945, but rather continued working at the Hall Insurance Agency. Charles was Honorably Discharged from the Navy in May 1945 (after recuperating from being blown off his ship by a Japanese suicide bomber). Charles attended the University of Texas dur-ing the Summer of 1945, and the University of Houston during the Fall of 1945. Charles and Marie dated during that Summer and Fall, and they became engaged at Christmas, 1945. On August 31, 1946, at the age of 18, Marie wed Charles at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in League City. For over 67 years, Marie and Charles were blessed in their marriage to each other. They raised six children together, and were Proud Grandparents to 19 Grandchildren, and 17 Great-Grandchildren. After Marie’s six children were all in school, she went back to college, attending the Uni-versity of Houston where she earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Education, and her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Marie’s teaching career was spent at Clear Creek Independent School District where she served for 25 years as an Educator, and ultimately as Chair of the Business/Vocational Department. Marie authored “Devel-oping a Successful Elective in Business Ed”, regarding a Business Organization and Man-agement Course she had developed for high school Juniors and Seniors. The work was published by Southwestern Publishing in their March/April 1983 Edition of The Balance Sheet, which was distributed to 250,000 teachers. Marie was proud that her course was approved by the Clear Creek Independent School District and was taught at Clear Lake High School. As part of her professional growth, Marie became a Member of the National Education Business Association, the National Education Association, and the Texas Retired Teach-er’s Association. Marie retired from teaching in 1996, after having positively affected the lives of thousands of students during her 25 years of devoted service. To the end, Marie loved attending the Clear Springs High School volleyball games to cheer on the Lady Charger Volleyball team. Marie was an enthusiastic artist who enjoyed using all forms of art, including oils, pencils, ceramics, and floral arrangements. She was President of the Gulf Coast Garden Club, and involved in community service projects for the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League Baseball as Team Mother, and St. Helen’s Meal Ministry. She was a champion Bridge card-player, and loved playing sports, including tennis, volleyball, bowling, and skeet shooting. Marie’s Grandchildren cherished their Summers at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, par-ticularly the trips to the beach in Galveston (cold fried chicken on the beach was the best), the stops at the Dairy Queen, and the many card games. Grandma always had pro-jects for the Grandchildren to complete, after which they would be rewarded with fun activities. As a result of the many summers spent at Grandma and Grandpa’s with cous-ins of similar age, the Grandchildren have bonded for life. Aunt Weetsie was also very loved by her nieces and nephews. She was a great listener and expressed real interest in learning about what was important to each of them in their lives. Marie was a valiant warrior—an inspiration to all her family. A two-time cancer survivor, she baffled her doctors and left them in awe. She had a deep faith, and believed that God was not ready to call her home before now because she was needed by her family. Marie chose the following inscription for her tombstone: “God Is and All is Well”. Marie was preceded in death by her loving husband Charles, her parents Lester and An-nie, her sister Betty Ann Smith and husband Billy Smith, her sister-in-law Gloria Weiss and husband Jack, and many other cherished family members and friends. Marie is survived by her six children and their families: son, Charles B. Garner, Jr.; son, Senior Judge David E. Garner and wife Linda; daughter, Senior Justice Margaret Garner Mirabal and husband Blas; daughter, Katharine Garner Vanya and husband Stephen; son, Nathan P. Garner; daughter, Natalie Garner Sanders and husband Mike; grandchildren Trey Garner and wife Deb, Matthew Garner and wife Alison, Greg Garner, Tricia Garner Parker and husband Marcus, Jason Garner and wife April, Shannon Garner McClellen and husband Ryan, Daniel Garner and wife Jodi, Danielle Mirabal Plumlee and husband Michael, Michelle Mirabal, Keegan Lucas and wife Kristen, Skylar Lucas and wife Linh, Kolson Lucas, Kylynn Lucas Cuccerre and husband Anthony, Sarah Garner Noonan and husband Brendan, Jacob Garner, Meghan Sanders Wolfe and husband Aaron, Ryan Sanders and wife Elizabeth, Connor Sanders, and Caitlin Sanders; and great-grandchildren Noah and Lauren Garner, Nicholas and Ava Garner, Bryce and Chase Par-ker, Jack and Gage Garner, Nolan and Parker Garner, Clara McClellen, Julianna Cuccerre, Stryker Lucas, James and Oliver Noonan, and Brandon and Madelyn Wolfe. Marie is also survived by her sisters Lessie Biedermann and husband Don of Maineville, Ohio, and Ann Best (Rosalie Sebesta) and Partner Sandra Chatham of Lago Vista, Texas, and many cherished cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Recitation of the Rosary with family and friends will take place at Clayton Funeral Home, 5530 W. Broadway, Pearland, Texas 77581 on Thursday, October 6, 2016, at 6:00 PM, with Visitation to take place immediately after the Rosary. The funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10 AM on Friday, October 7, 2016, at St. Helen’s Catholic Church, 2209 Old Alvin Rd., Pearland, Texas, 77581. Pallbearers will be Marie’s six children, Charles, David, Margaret, Katharine, Nathan, and Natalie, and her Grandchildren Trey, Matthew, Jason, Shannon, Danielle, Michelle, Keegan, Skylar, Sarah, Jacob, Meghan, and Ryan. Honorary pallbearers will be the remainder of Marie’s 19 Grandchildren. If desired, donations in memory of Marie may be made to St. Helen’s Catholic Church, 2209 Old Alvin Rd., Pearland, Texas 77581.