Mary Lou Raven

Mary Lou Raven, 88, passed away on Oct. 6, 2016. She was born on Oct. 31, 1927, in Caldwell County, near the community of McMahan, to Floyd and Lucinda Blundell.
As a child, Mary Lou attended school at Taylorville and Dale in Caldwell County. When she was eleven, during the height of the Depression, the family moved to Austin so that her father could find employment. During th

e next several years, the family took up residence at different locations on Eva Street in south Austin.
During this time, Mary Lou attended Fulmore School and Allen Junior High. She attended Austin High briefly, but after the tenth grade, was forced to suspend her educational pursuits to find work so that she could assist her parents during hard times. She eventually earned her GED in 1967.
For the rest of her life, she fondly recalled her late teens, and the various jobs she held during that time, such as an elevator operator at the Austin Hotel on Congress Avenue; and as a clerk at the Highway Department, then located across the street from the Capitol.
In February of 1947, Mary Lou married Jack Raven in a small ceremony at his parents’ home on East 52nd Street in Austin. Their marriage endured for 67 years until Jack’s death in 2014.
Mary Lou and Jack eventually settled in south Austin, where they resided for over 50 years. While raising their sons, they were active members at Woodlawn Baptist Church. Once their sons established their own families, they returned to their “home” church, Kinney Avenue Baptist Church, where they remained until their final days.
In 1967, Mary Lou went to work at the I.R.S. Service Center on south I-35, where she held various clerical positions until her retirement in 1988. While at the I.R.S., she made many friends and memories, and shared countless jokes with her co-workers.
She will be remembered by her sense of humor and love of laughter. Other than the complete love and devotion to her family, Mary Lou’s greatest joys in life were ballroom dancing and long road trips in a car. She also rarely missed watching the Dallas Cowboys on TV.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband, Jack; and by her sister, Willie Bernice; and an infant brother.
She is survived by sons, Tim (Gail) Raven, of Stonewall and Matt (Sharon) Raven, of Conroe; six grandchildren: Kelly (Brad) Wells, Barrett (Kristen) Raven, Kris (Kayla) Raven, Taylor (Meagan) Raven, Zachary Raven and Graham Raven; and nine great-grandchildren, Katelyn, Kara, Ira, Nate, Wyatt, Krista, Natalie, Ethan, and Bowie.
Pallbearers will be Mary Lou’s grandsons and grandson-in-law.
The family wishes to express their gratitude to those who have cared for, and prayed over our beloved Mary Lou, especially Annie Aaron, Ken Baldwin, and the members of Kinney Avenue Fellowship. Special gratitude also to the staff of Park Manor Skilled Nursing in Conroe, whose sweet staff treated Mary Lou with loving care and dignity to the end.
The family will receive friends from 6 – 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14, 2016, at Harrell Funeral Home, 4435 Frontier Trail, Austin, Texas.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016, at Harrell Funeral Home, Austin, Texas. A graveside service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Jeffrey Cemetery, McMahan, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Rose of Texas Hospice, 1610 Woodstead Ct.; #395; Spring, Texas 77380; or to the charity of your choice.