Marie Elizabeth Black, 54, of San Antonio, TX passed away on August 28, 2024.  She was born in New Orleans, LA on February 28th, 1970 and grew up in Houston.  She graduated from Jersey Village High School in 1989 and attended Baylor University where she graduated with a degree in Psychology.  She then received her physical therapy assistant certificate from Houston Community College and later received her Masters in Physical Therapy from Texas Womens College.

Marie was a light.  Her infectious, fun-loving personality always brought a smile to the hurting people she served and the friends, family and colleagues who surrounded her.  She cherished her two nephews and loved spending time with them.  She was also an unabashed dog lover and lavished her "four-legged kids" with love and caring.

Marie was a gifted physical therapist earning numerous accolades and frequently being invited to share her experiences and knowledge at clinics and seminars across the country and abroad.  She spent the majority of her career focused on the most extreme cases including spinal cord injuries and multiple limb amputees.  Her passion was to see these people gain their mobility and independence again.  In her 20+ year career she had the privilege of serving at the Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research (TIRR) in Houston and the Center for the Intrepid (CFI) at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio.

Marie loved the outdoors, especially camping, hiking, kayaking and fishing.  She spent most of her vacation time on a trail, by a lake, on the river or at the shores of the Gulf of Mexico.  One of her favorite things to do was to kayak.  She was fearless on the river and loved to share her passion for it with friends and even her patients.  In fact, she would take some of them to the river as part of their therapy.  She also made several trips to Colorado to take wounded veterans skiing.  And she loved to travel, visiting many famous US cities and national parks as well as places like Egypt, Europe and India.  She even hiked the Machu Pichu trail in Peru!

Marie's life was marked by service to her patients and so many others.  She had the privilege of being the first medical person to classify kayaking athletes for the Paralympics.  She participated several times in the MS-150 in Texas and was an avid supporter of the Wounded Warriors Project and the Brookwood Community in Brookshire, TX where her brother Emory is a resident.

Marie was most importantly a Christian and attended Grace Church in San Antonio.  Her faith was the driving force behind who she was.  She allowed God to use her talents as a therapist for His glory by going on medical missions abroad and simply by the way she so lovingly did her job every day.  She was so proud to serve our veterans and those suffering from devastating injuries.  During her illness, the numerous well wishes and remembrances that came in were an overwhelming tribute to the eternal difference her life made on those around her.

Marie will be missed greatly but her legacy of love, faith, joy and service will live on forever.

Marie is survived by her mother Claire Black, Houston, TX, brothers Emory Black, Brookshire, TX and Rodney Black (Nadja Foley Black), Castle Rock, CO and Nephews Carson Black, Kansas City, KS and Grant Black, Castle Rock, CO, and many uncles, aunts and cousins from South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Texas.  She is preceded in death by her grandparents and father William Emory Black, Sr., Houston, TX

In lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution can be made to the Brookwood Community in Brookshire, TX.