Mary Cornelia Davis Turbiville
Mary Cornelia Davis “Mary Neal” Turbiville, 78, of Llano County died April 5, 2011.
She was a Christmas gift in 1932 to parents Lucy Jane Cooper and Clifford Lawrence “Chick” Davis. She grew up in Austin.
She was always trying to make life better for her family and community. She was an active PTA member and a Brownie leader.
She married Navy Lt. Leslie Turbiville July 1, 1968, in the chapel at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Miss., with a military chaplain officiating.
In Gulfport she became active in the Navy Relief Society and earned the Meritorious Service award for her work helping families after the ravages of Hurricane Camille in 1969. She was also cited by the commanding officer of the center for her work with Navy families at a shelter during the storm.
During her husband’s deployment to Vietnam she kept the family together.
After he returned, she moved to the Naval Regional Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va. She was president of the Naval Officers Wives Club and was selected the Navy Wife of the year for the Fifth Naval District. She also was one of three finalists for “Over All Navy Wife” of the year.
She continued as a relief society volunteer.
She next was at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Orlando, Fla. Since part of her duties involved entertaining staff and visitors, she became known not only for her food, but for the way she could put everyone from seamen to admirals at ease.
By 1979 she quickly became a valuable addition to her new community in Llano. She attended the licensed vocational nurse program at Llano Memorial Hospital and worked for several years as a floor nurse. She then became one of the first home-health nurses and then a hospice volunteer. She was an active American Cancer Society volunteer.
She organized one of the first Relay for Life fundraisers for Llano County. In her spare time she made embroidered tote bags for children so they would not be required to take all their treasures in plastic bags when they had to be removed from abusive homes. She made everyone feel at home at her open houses and her dinner parties.
She was proud of her American Indian heritage. Her great-grandmother was a Choctaw. She also was a direct descendant of Andrew Kent, one of the Alamo defenders from Gonzales.
Survivors include her husband; children Jane, Mona, Joy, Jimmy and James; grandchildren Darren, Kristen, Maggie, Christopher, Nicole and Cody; and two great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by brother Clifford L. “Jack” Davis; sister Marjorie L. Davis; and her parents.
A funeral service is 1 p.m. April 9 at Waldrope-Hatfield-Hawthorne Funeral Home chapel, 307 E. Sandstone in Llano, (325) 247-4300, with burial following at Honey Creek Cemetery.
A charitable donation in her memory can be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the Smile Train, American Cancer Society or Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Highland Lakes Area, 1719 Ridgeview, Kingsland, TX 78639.
E-mail condolences can be sent to whhfuneral1@verizon.net or visitwww.whhfuneralhome.com for online condolences.