Mary Lou Rutter

Mary Rutter passed away quietly in her apartment in Prestonwood Court in Plano, Texas on the afternoon of June 4, 2024. Mary Lou was born in Gordon, Texas on November 22, 1936, to parents Joe Francis and Bess (Whiteley) Francis.

She grew up in several small towns in West Texas but graduated high school in Carthage, Texas. She attended Texas Tech and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a BS degree majoring in bacteriology.

Mary Lou married Clayton Gene Rutter of Hereford, Texas in Austin on August 31, 1957.  She and Clayton lived in Austin, then Amarillo, Texas, Atlanta, Georgia, Houston (Clear Lake City), Texas and returned to Austin, Texas.

She taught high school science at Clear Creek High School and then worked for 30 years at the Texas Health Department reference lab. She received a master’s in public health administration from Texas State University in San Marcos. After retiring from the State, she taught microbiology at Austin Community College.

Mary Lou was active in the First Baptist Church in downtown Austin for many years, teaching an Adult Sunday School Class, serving as a Deacon and active with ESL ministry. She was an usher with the Austin Symphony Orchestra. She was an avid reader and as a widow traveled extensively with the Road Scholar/Elder Hostel program.

Widowed when her husband died in 1990, she never remarried. She was mother to two sons, Allan Rutter of Prosper, Texas and Steve Rutter of Waxhaw, North Carolina, and mother-in-law to Allan’s wife Melanie and Steve’s wife Mary Ann. She was grandmother of six—Sarah Clark of McKinney, Texas, Liz Baker of Carrollton, Texas, Joanna Rutter of Durham, North Carolina, Nathan Rutter of Raleigh, North Carolina, Elijah Rutter of Raleigh, North Carolina and Caleb Rutter of Phoenix, Arizona. She had two great-grandsons, Malachi and Maxwell Clark of McKinney, Texas and nephews David Overton of Midland, Texas, Michael Smith of Canehill, Arkansas, and Marion Rutter of Clovis, New Mexico and niece Twila Rutter of Clovis, New Mexico. She was preceded in death by her sisters Cary Jo Overton, Sally Nicholas.

There will be a memorial service at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, June 15, 2024, at Christ United Methodist Church, Plano, Texas, with Rev. Mike Flynn officiating.

If desired, Mary’s family asks that memorial tributes be made to the City Lights Ministry of First Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas.