Mary Belle McAllister Ingram of Bay City, TX passed away on April 23, 2010 at her home, the Legacy Assisted Living, after fighting a valiant battle against Hodgkin's Lymphoma and heart disease.

Mary Belle was born in Mankins, TX on July 9, 1916 to Vera Frazier Richeson
(from Bomerton, TX) and Watkins L. Richeson (from Cherry Hill, AL). After graduating from high school in Mankins, she attended North Texas State Teacher's College in Denton graduating in 1936 with a Bachelor of Science Degree. In later years she also obtained her Master's Degree in Education from Denton. She taught for one year at South Lockett in west Texas. In the fall of 1937 she moved to Bay City and taught at Bay City High School. In subsequent years she taught fifth grade at Tenie Holmes Elementary and was librarian at Cherry Junior High School and McAllister Junior High School. Mary Belle felt her greatest contribution to teaching was leading the Junior Historians at McAllister.

In 1941, Mary Belle married Harmon J. McAllister. They had three children: Jerry, Julianne and Bill. Harmon became superintendent of schools in Bay City and died in 1963. In 1973, she married William J. Ingram, who died in 1983.

Mary Belle was active in many school organizations from the Girl Reserves in the 1930's to the Junior Historians in the 1970's. In 1978, she was first runner-up for the Texas Teacher of the Year award. She was an active member of the First United Methodist Church for almost 70 years and in 1980 authored 110 Years of Methodism, History of First United Methodist Church of Bay City, Texas, for which she received the Kate Warnick Award for excellence in publication of local church history. She was book chairman and chief compiler of Historic Matagorda County, a two-volume history published in 1986. In 1979 she authored a family history book, Listen To The Bell. In 2006, Mary Belle published Canebrake Settlements, which recorded the history of black people and their churches along Caney Creek during the nineteenth century.

Mary Belle taught school for thirty years and after retiring in 1978, she was active in the Matagorda County Museum, the Matagorda County Historical Commission, the Genealogical Society, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Landmark Commission. She received the Texas Historical Commission Award of Excellence in Preserving History in 1991 and the Ruth Lester Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.

Mary Belle was preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, son Bill and sisters Vivian and Alice. She is survived by her children Jerry (Hope) McAllister of Hammond, WI and Julianne (Daryl) Thompson of Ashwood, TX; her six grandchildren, Juliellen & Christopher Galletti, Jennifer & John Runnells III, Troy & Lauren Thompson, Adrienne Palmer, Ruby & Brian Bodeker, and Ellie McAllister & Paul Hennings; she was very proud of her twelve great grandchildren, Christopher, Aubrey & Claire Galletti, Hunter & Chandler Runnells, Erin & Landon Thompson, Zachary, Trent & Ethan Palmer, and Coralee & Merritt Bodeker; a nephew and six nieces, including Jan (Fred) Raby of Elgin, TX to whom she was very close; and her devoted caregiver and friend Carolyn Boulden.

A special thank you to the Legacy Assisted Living staff and to special caregivers, Sherry Jones, Michelle Rodriguez, Hester Williams and Hope Barrera for taking such loving care of our mother and grandmother.

Mary Belle Ingram, educator, librarian, genealogist, historian, civic leader, church layman, patriot, friend, wife, mother, and grandmother, is a treasured loved one and citizen of her community, county, state and country.

Pallbearers are grandsons Troy Thompson, John Runnells III, Chris Galletti, Paul Hennings, Brian Bodeker, and friends Jim Allen, Bob Noster David Holubec and Mike Reddell. Honorary pallbearers are Sam Maglitto, Lamar Evans, Fred Walker, Eddie Jecmenek, George Durett, Charles Martinez and George Yeager.

Preferred memorials are William R. McAllister Scholarship Fund at Stephen F. Austin University, Matagorda County Museum and First United Methodist Church of Bay City.

Visitation will be held at Bay City Funeral Home from 2 – 4 PM Sunday. Funeral service will be 2 PM Monday, April 26, 2010 at First United Methodist Church of Bay City with interment at Cedarvale Cemetery.

"I have had a good and fruitful life, and hope I have not lived in vain but have left a legacy of service to my family, friends and church, and to this wonderful community that has been my home since 1938". Mary Belle Richeson McAllister Ingram, 8/24/09