Mary Frances (Gaynor) Battles left the troubles of this world to walk on streets of gold with her Lord on April 27, 2024, in Hospice of Wichita Falls.

The familly will receive friends at a visitation from 6:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1st at Lunn's. Funeral services to celebrate Mary's colorful life will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 2nd at First Baptist Church of Holliday with Rev. Darryl Sewell officiating. Private interment will follow at Holliday Cemetery under the direction of Lunn's Colonial Funeral Home. In honor of Mary's love of color, family and friends are invited to dress in bright, happy colors for the service.

Mary's rich life began in Lawrenceville, IL, on July 20, 1933, but she made her way to Texas quickly and graduated from Holliday High School. She married William Barry (an Air Force man) in Holliday in 1951. They lived in Manassas, VA, until his death in 1972. Then Mary won the heart of Emmett Linn Battles ("Half"), and they had five wonderful years together before his passing in 1983.

Mary was the proud mother of Wren Backes and husband, Ken; Randy Barry and wife, Sharon; Beth Bailey and husband, Bo; and son-in-law Michael Chaney. She was the loving Granny Mary to ten grandchildren: Rachel Sayegh, Megan Rostollan, Alanna Harkness, James "Wes" Backes, Austin Akins, Cody Akins, William Barry, Miranda Hollis, Amber Coyle, Brandon Barry, and 22 spectacular great-grandchildren.

She worked as a secretary and medical clerk throughout her career serving people in business as well as through the mission work she did throughout the state of Texas. Mary was a faithful servant of Christ and longtime member of the Holliday First Baptist Church, where she invested in others by teaching Sunday school for over 50 years and singing in the choir for many of those years.

Mary was an avid quilter and enjoyed gifting family and friends with the treasures she lovingly stitched. She loved time with her grandkids and was always up for a game of Uno or Hide the Thimble, and she burned up the Texas highways to support them at football games, track meets, UIL, and band competitions.

Mary never knew a stranger (even on the New York subway), and she had a great sense of humor, teasing with the Monkey Bunch from church and cracking jokes right up to the very end. Even in her final days, she worked to bring joy into the lives of her family. Someone mentioned that the stroke had smoothed out all of her wrinkles on the left side of her face like a facelift, and Mary mustered the strength to joke, "I wouldn't recommend it!"

She is preceded in death by her husband, Linn; parents, Gale and Louise; brothers, Gale and Ross; sister, Gayna; and daughter, Danielle Chaney.

The family requests memorials be made in lieu of flowers to Hospice of Wichita Falls or your charity of choice.