Mary Seay

GRAVESIDE SERVICE:  10:00 A.M. Saturday, September 7, 2019, at Newburg Cemetery in Comanche County. MEMORIALS:  In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to South Main Baptist Church, 4300 E. Sam Houston Parkway, Pasadena, Texas 77505; or Newburg Cemetery Association, c/o Evelyn Lee, 201 N. Clark Street, Comanche, Texas 76442. Mary Catherine (Slider) Seay, age 91, passed away on Tuesday, September 3, 2019, in Pasadena, Texas. She was born on February 15, 1928, in Comanche, Texas, to Hardy and Eula (Clarke) Slider, one of ten children.  She grew up in Comanche and, after graduating from Comanche High School, attended North Texas State Teachers College in Denton.  The first summer back home she met her future husband, Robert Earl “Skeet” Seay.  During her second year of college an appendectomy sent her home early and on October 19, 1947, she and “Skeet” were married and began raising a family.  Catherine was very involved with her young family’s activities, but still had a strong desire to graduate college as a teacher. With her husband’s encouragement she enrolled in correspondence courses from North Texas Teachers College, which enabled her to work as a substitute teacher.  After many years of attending summer school she attained an elementary education degree from the University of Houston and began her career as a full-time teacher. Cornelius Elementary School in Houston, where she was teaching sixth grade, was one of the first schools chosen for the new Magnet program in math and science, and Catherine was called upon to be the first coordinator.  One of her most important goals was to integrate minorities into the program, and she was very successfully in attaining that goal.  After teaching for twenty-eight years she fulfilled a promise to her husband to retire at fifty-five.  Catherine was an upright, strong, hardworking, and forward thinking woman, who inspired her family, friends and students alike. She is survived by her twin daughters, Cindy Fatheree and husband Boyd of La Porte, Texas, and Cathy Haney and husband Mike of La Porte; grandchildren and their spouses: Donna and James Polnac, Deanna and Wally Dyall, Chris and Dawn Raymond, Rob and Celeste Raymond, Susan and Rusty Gourlay, Jason and Samantha Weldon, John and Kristy Weldon, and Carrie and Dan Tracy; brother, Bob Slider of Wimberley; and sister, Elizabeth Jarvis of Lewisville.