Mary Sue Atchley Ethridge

Mary Sue Atchley Ethridge of Lancaster, Texas was born June 17, 1937, in Arab, Alabama to James Gardner and Shirley T. (Wright) Atchley. She passed from this life to her eternal rest on August 16, 2024, surrounded by family and friends. Mary Sue was the middle child of nine children. At the age of 13, her family relocated to Rice, Texas where she later met Raymond Ethridge and married him in 1955. They moved to Lancaster, Texas where she lived for the remainder of her years. She was a homemaker into her early 40’s until she decided to go to work for Lancaster ISD. She started out as a lunch lady at the middle school, then became a full-time custodian later on. She retired at the age of 65, but missing work, she returned part-time for another 12 years, fully retiring at the age of 77. Her coworkers became her second family and she loved them very much. Mary Sue loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren more than anything in the world. They all held a special place in her heart. She would feed them whatever they wanted at her kitchen bar, asking, “You hungry hun?” She always had cold chips in the fridge and ice cream sandwiches in the freezer for them. She was a fantastic cook who loved feeding her family. Feeding her family was her love language. Her favorite holiday was Thanksgiving because she loved the gathering of family and the sharing of good food. She had the most tender heart when it came to animals, especially her pet dogs that she cared for over the years. Being the animal lover that she was, the feral cats in her neighborhood could always find food and shelter on her back porch too. At one point, there were as many as thirteen. Like the sign hanging in her home says, “Cat’s Are Like Potato Chips, You Can’t Have Just One.” Mary Sue was also a lover and avid watcher of the Texas Rangers for years. She was so excited to finally see them win the World Series last year (Thank the Lord). Go Rangers! She was always an immaculate housekeeper who liked to decorate with her favorite color blue. She kept her yard nicely manicured with her riding mower until her daughter asked her to stop at the age of 78. She nurtured her pear tree in her back yard – sharing pears with anyone who wanted them. She loved doing word searches in her recliner while watching General Hospital, which she had been watching since 1963. Mary Sue accepted Jesus as her personal savior and followed in believer’s baptism at Pleasant Run Baptist Church when she was 30 years old. She loved watching Christian television on Sunday mornings. Mary Sue was preceded in death by her infant daughter, Mary Ann; her parents; her brothers, Floyd Atchley (Velma), Garland Atchley, Larry Wayne Atchley (Myrna Sue), and J.T. Atchley; her sisters, Margie Hartley (Leroy), Florence Bennett (James), and Christine Rusk (Ed); her son-in-law, Gary Wood; her sister-in-law, Ann Atchley; and Raymond Ethridge. She was also preceded in death by her dogs, Blackie, Rusty, Floppsie, Buddy, Daisy, and her bird, Sunny. Mary Sue is survived by her brother, Carl “Red” Atchley; her daughter, Abbie Wood; her son, Bobby Ethridge and fiancé Michelle Scott; her grandchildren, Noelle Burton and husband Nick, Chelsea Cordell and husband Ryan, Clayton Ethridge, and Dylan Ethridge and wife Kylie; her great-grandchildren, Callie Cordell, Charlotte Cordell, Grey Burton, Lucienne Burton, Colton Cordell, and Sabrina Ethridge; her sweet nieces, Dorothy Rawlings, Rhonda Watson, LaDonna Hand, and Helen Davis; her cousin, Olene Murray; and many other nieces, nephews, and cousins. A celebration of Mary Sue’s life will be at 11:00am on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at Byrum Funeral Home Chapel with visitation beginning at 10:00. Interment will follow at 2:00pm at Family Cemetery in Hillsboro, Texas. Mary Sue’s family will be wearing her favorite color blue to honor her.

Mary Sue Atchley Ethridge

June 17, 1937 - August 16, 2024