Mary Elizabeth Johnson

Mary Elizabeth Johnson, 89, of Amarillo, died Wednesday, October 2, 2019. Memorial services will be 2:00 pm Saturday at Cox-Rowley Funeral Home Chapel, 4180 Canyon Dr. Mary was born July 8, 1930 in Jacksonville,Texas to Horace and Pauline Thompson. Mary spent many years of her youth working in the fields of Hall County hoeing weeds and pulling cotton. Known for her competitive spirit and perseverance she prided herself in the fact that her tow sack weighed more than any of her siblings at the end of the day. That tenacity and work ethic followed her throughout her life. She loved school and played basketball, eventually graduating from Lakeview High School. She moved to Amarillo and worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone as an operator for 16 years.  Later, she moved to Hereford and obtained her Real Estate Broker’s license before initiating a career in law enforcement that she truly loved.  First she began as a dispatcher, but at the age of 55, having never shot a gun in her life, she attended and graduated from the police academy in Amarillo. This provided her the ability to be deputized and later become the bailiff for the court house in Deaf Smith County. While in Hereford she was a member of the Home Demonstration club, pink ladies of the Hospital Auxiliary and Texas Sheriff’s Association. Upon retirement she moved to Howardwick, Texas and enjoyed fishing and working at the permit booth on Lake Greenbelt. Throughout her life she was quick with a laugh and a joke, always doing her best to make someone smile. She loved to cook and never ran out of a “new” recipe to create and share with her friends and family. When money may have been tight she knew how to stretch a penny into a nickel and cook a modest meal that became a feast. Mary was preceded in death by her parents; a brother Hank Thompson; and a sister Fay Kelley. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Jana and Dale Fincke of Claude; a grandson Wyatt Huston; a brother and sister-in-law Joe and Betty Thompson of Kaufman; a brother Frank Thompson of Lakeview; numerous nieces and nephews; and a host of friends.