Mary Lou Prince, 85 died Monday August 14, 2017 surrounded by her family at St. Luke's Hospital in The Woodlands, TX.

She was born in Evansville, Indiana on Sept. 28, 1931 to Forrest and Dorothy Snurpus. She was a wife, a sister, a mother, an aunt, a cousin, and a grandmother. Mary Lou cherished her family and she loved them deeply. She celebrated their strengths and accomplishments; and she gently comforted them all through their trials. She was a good friend and neighbor. She adored her pets and the daily walks in her neighborhood.

Mary Lou was a lifelong scholar and teacher. She attended Evansville College and graduated with her Master's degree in special education from the University of Houston after her family relocated to TX in the 1950s.

She began her 27 year long teaching career in SBISD and eventually retired from CISD. Her retirement from her teaching career did not end her years as a teacher. Mary Lou was an avid genealogist. She tirelessly researched, reconstructed and documented her family history with tremendous detail and the joy of discovery. She comprised a book of her work and had it printed for her small family.

She continued to teach Sunday school, lead book clubs, study Spanish, take dance classes and tutor the children of family and friends until the last days of her life. There are innumerable people on this earth who can credit her with teaching them to read. She loved the written word; and she was happiest when she saw her students learn to share that love, and experience the joy and reward of reading. She was a brilliant, insightful and patient woman. She had a boundless wealth of memory and knowledge about almost any subject one could imagine. She retold the family stories accurately, and accompanied the retelling with her wonderful wit and sense of humor.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband, Martin A. (Marty) Prince, son Mark E, Prince and great-granddaughter Macy Marie. She is survived by her daughter, Monica Prince Jolly (Patrick), sisters Sandra Shafer and Beth Eardley (Warren), grandchildren Gary L. Davis Jr. (Ashley), Matthew P. Sweeney (Michelle), Mark Prince Jr. (Kelsey), Mitchell Prince( Britney), and Mallory Farrow (Phillip), great grandchildren- Mia, Melody, Kinlee, Madison, Hardy, Adalynn, Mark and Paxton.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Mary Lou Prince will be held on Monday, September 25. 2017 at 1:00pm in Robb Chapel at The Woodlands United Methodist Church. The family wishes to extend thanks to Mary Lou's wonderful neighbors, pet sitters, church members and special life-long friend, Jim Ochs for their tremendous love and support during this time.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to request donations be made to Malinois Ranch Rescue 100 Guins Creek Ln. McKenzie, TN 38201 . (malinoisranchrescue.com) or Friends of Texas Wildlife – (www.ftwl.org).