Mary Doyle Bobo of Fort Worth, formerly of Austin, passed away February 25. She was a 1936 graduate of Italy High School.

Mary was born in rural North Texas, the youngest of eight children in the William and Lillian Doyle family that came to Texas from Tennessee in the early 1900s.

She was a member of the Greatest Generation, those who lived during the Great Depression and the World War II era, and witnessed the remarkable economic and scientific progress of the 20th Century. She knew a time when there were no antibiotics and no interstate highways, and when television was new – and black and white.

She married a young military enlistee who survived the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. During and after the war, they lived in several states, England and finally in Austin as an Air Force family.

In Austin, she assisted with a pre-school program at Crestview United Methodist Church, helped with Girl Scouts and was a stalwart Band Mom. Mary also worked for the Austin school district and, after the death of her husband, at Yaring’s linens.

Mary played baseball and basketball at Italy High, and became a life-long sports fan, especially of the University of Texas Lady Longhorns, and later, the TCU Lady Frogs.

She is survived by a daughter and many nieces and nephews and their families, including Nelda Commons and her daughter and grandchildren, of Italy. She was predeceased by her husband, Ormond; six brothers and a sister and their spouses; nephews Truman Commons and Sonny Doyle; military friends around the U.S.; and friends in Austin and Fort Worth.

As we grow older, we all should hope that we have her kindness, her resilience and her spirit. And her jump shot.

Memorial remembrances may be made to Italy High School, women’s basketball programs at the University of Texas or TCU, Crestview United Methodist Church in Austin, or any organization that provides programs to help young people succeed.