Mary Grace McLaughlin

Mary Grace Pou McLaughlin was born February 7, 1920, the third child and first daughter of Allen and Fannie Coussons Pou. She was born at home in the Ramah Community near Tenaha in Shelby County, TX. She left this earth on October 25, 2016 in Spring, TX. She was 96 years old. Gracie married John McLaughlin in 1946 in Houston, TX where they lived all their married life. Several years after Johnny’s death, she moved to The Woodlands, TX and lived there at The Forum for six years. She enjoyed living in The Woodlands and said that the pine trees reminded her of East Texas. She moved to assisted living in Spring, TX last December. Gracie was a member of Uvalde Baptist Church in the Olive Class. She was a loving wife, a devoted mother and a generous and loyal friend. She spent many volunteer hours at Sun Belt Regional Medical Center and with the Green Valley PTO. She was Mimi to her three grandchildren and loved them dearly. She enjoyed working crossword puzzles, reading, and shopping. Gracie graduated from Tenaha High School in 1936. She was in the same class as her brother Charles Pou, Sr. because she was double promoted in the second grade. She was interested in maintaining the history of Shelby County and assisted with information to get a historical marker for Ramah Cemetery. She was responsible for replacing cemetery monuments for family members at Ramah Cemetery, Old Home Cemetery, and Old Center Cemetery. She was a supporter of the Tenaha Beautification Project and often returned to Tenaha for Ramah Day. She remembered one Ramah Day when Tex Ritter was there and got up on a wagon to sing for the crowd. She was married for 56 years before the death of her husband Johnny in 2003. She is survived by her daughters Fran and husband Les Heugatter of Spring, TX, and Jill Phillips of Houston, TX; grandchildren Jessica Noser and John Heugatter of Spring, TX, and John Phillips of Tulsa, Oklahoma; a sister-in-law Dahlia Cook McManus of Liberty, TX and dear nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers William and Charles Pou, Sr., and her sister and best friend Mildred Wisenbaker.