Mary Helen Hall Derby
Wed, 12/04/2013 - 19:44
Edgar
Mary Helen Hall Derby, a loving and beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, and faithful friend went home to be with the Lord and Savior on November 25, 2013. She was born in Hico, Texas on January 25, 1919 to Dr. Charles Marvin Hall and Maude Sellers Hall. She is preceded in death by her parents, brothers - Dr. Wendell C. Hall & Charles (Bud) Hall, sister - Emma Dee Hedges, her infant daughter - Mar y Lynn Morrill, her stepson - Jack A. Derby, Jr., her daughter-in-law - Judith Bradshaw Morrill, her two husbands - Junius Hughes Morrill (1961) and Jack A. Derby, Sr. (2000). Surviving her are her three children: Kenneth Hall Morrill of Mesquite, Texas, Katharine June Morrill Bouldin (Wood) of Austin, Texas, Emily Clair Morrill of Plano, Texas and her stepdaughter Ponnie Lou Derby of Saxons River, Vermont. Mar y Helen was blessed with 9 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews. She was valedictorian of her class at Hico High School and attended the University of Texas in Austin where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in English and French. At the University of Texas she was active in the Reagan Literary Society, the Girls’ Glee Club, a Blue Bonnet Belle nominee, and a member of the Chi Omega Sorority (Iota Chapter). While at UT, she also met the first love of her life - Junius Hughes Morrill of Mobile, Alabama. They were married on August 31, 1941 in Hico, Texas. They were married until June’s sudden death on April 10, 1961. Mary Helen was then blessed with the second love of her life - Jack Armstrong Derby, Sr. They were married 38 years until his death on April 11, 2000. Mary Helen loved people and especially her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Participating in family activities was her great joy, and she was involved in leadership positions in the PTA, Girl Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, Boy Scouts of America, and all the sports and extracurricular activities of her children. Her faith was always at the core of her being through the years. She was a faithful member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, Texas. Besides being an ongoing support for her family, Mary Helen devoted many years of service to the Chi Omega Alumnae and active chapters. She served as an advisor, assisted with the installation of the Rho Epsilon Chapter at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, served as the Texas state recruitment information chair for more than 50 years, delivered inspirational speeches, built up scholastic endowments, planned events and devoted infinite hours to cor respondence. In 1987 Mary Helen was the Honorar y Chairman of the Chi Omega Carousel. She was also honored with “The Mar y Helen Derby Scholarship” at the TCU Chi Omega Chapter and received the Lifetime Service Award at the Chi Omega National Convention in 2012. In the 94 years she was with us, we have been blessed by her influence in our lives and admire and celebrate her as an exemplary role model. She has always set the bar high and left an indelible mark on the world...and each of us. Her “Celebration of Life” Memorial Service will be held on Saturday (December 14, 2013) at 11:30 a.m. at the Greenwood Funeral Home’s Main Chapel at 3100 White Settlement Road, Fort Worth, Texas 76107. The family expresses their sincere thanks and appreciation to Father Richard Clark and her St. Andrews Episcopal Church family’s love and support, visits and prayers and the caregivers who helped Mary Helen in her last years. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials honoring Mar y Helen’s life be made to the Legacy Scholarship Program (Judith Bradshaw Morrill Fund) at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital @ 2222 Welborn Street, Dallas, Texas 75219 or The Mary Helen Derby Scholarship Fund payable to the Chi Omega Foundation @ P.O. Box 101371, Fort Worth, Texas 76185-1371 (Attn: The Mary Helen Derby Scholarship).
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