Mary Rothband

Mrs. Paul B. Rothband, neé Mary McCrae Anderson, of Harper TX passed away peacefully on January 17, 2021 in The Villages of Windcrest, in Fredericksburg TX where she had lived since 2019. She was the beloved wife of her husband for 78 years but is now with her Lord Jesus Christ in heaven.\r\n\r\nShe is survived by her husband, Paul B. Rothband; children, Paul B. Rothband Jr. and Sarah McCrae Rothband Rosanky; former son-in-law, Steve Rosanky; former daughter-in-law, Nancy Rothband; three grandchildren, Charlcie Lord Woodruff, Juliette Rothband Rosanky and Stephanie Rosanky Summerlin; and great-grandsons, Logan Mynar and Klynt Mynar and his wife, Katelyn.\r\n\r\nShe was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. H. G. S. Anderson and two brothers, George McCrae Anderson and David Woods Anderson.\r\n\r\nMary was born in the company hospital in Santa Rita, New Mexico on January 7, 1921 where her father was the Assistant General Manager of the Chino Copper Company at Hurley, New Mexico. The company was an open pit mine that eventually needed to mine the ground from under the hospital leaving its location a mere "point in space." This resulted in Mary becoming a member of "The Society of Persons Born in Space" later in life. Harrison Schmitt, one of the astronauts who landed on the moon was also born in the same hospital and organized that Society after returning to earth from his sojourn to the moon. All the 5,000 babies who were born in that hospital are eligible to join the Society.\r\n\r\nMary's father was a metallurgical Engineer with a degree from the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy at Rolla, Missouri. He developed a process for the continuous production of "sponge iron" from low grade iron ore. He contracted with the Japanese Government to build a plant at Kuji Minato, Japan. This resulted in Mary living in Japan at the age of 5. Her younger brother David was born in Tokyo. This experience caused Mary to write a wonderful book in later years to record her experience living in Japan, and of other things.\r\n\r\nMary was raised in the Episcopal Church under her mother's tutelage. \r\n\r\nShe also became a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) that her mother had been a member for many years. She has a certificate signed by DAR NATIONAL Officers on her 50th anniversary dated February 16, 2005. She loves the DAR and served as the Regent (President) of the Victoria Guadalupe Chapter when we lived in Port Lavaca, Texas before we retired on January 1, 1983. After we moved to Harper, Texas in 1985, Mary transferred her membership to the Ephraim Andrews Chapter in Fredericksburg, Texas where she served as the V. P. and later the Regent in 1985 and 1986.\r\n\r\nMary graduated from Central High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1939. She attended Oklahoma College for Women at Chickasha, Oklahoma where she majored in music and had a minor in English and History. Later, she took a business course at Draughons Business College in Muskogee and also took special courses in both voice and piano. Mary was an accomplished pianist and had a lovely soprano singing voice. She was a good member of the choirs in the various churches where we lived.\r\n\r\nMary met her husband Paul when he was a student at the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy at Rolla, Missouri in 1942 and she was the secretary to Professor Butler who was in charge of the Civil Engineering Department. They were married on February 27, 1943 in Christ Episcopal Church, Rolla, the same church where her parents had been married. \r\n\r\nMany years later, we joined the Order of the Golden Shillelagh, an important supportive organization for the college in Rolla. Although we joined the Order as a couple, Mary later decided to join for herself. She served for a term on the Executive Committee of the Order, a distinctive accomplishment.\r\n\r\nMary liked to play bridge and we enjoyed being members of a bridge club wherever we lived. She also enjoyed working crossword puzzles. She also was a good seamstress.\r\n\r\nThe Rothband's established two scholarship funds at the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy to aid senior students as needed. One fund was for students in the Metallurgical Department in honor of Mary's father H. G. S. Anderson. The other fund was for students in the Chemical Engineering Department where Paul received his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering.\r\n\r\nThe Rothband's took a 12-day cruise on the ALCOA ore ship "Naess Saturn" in October 1974 to Cabo Rojo, Dominican Republic, that caused Dick Fisher, the Editor-In-Chief of the Port Lavaca Wave to interview Mary. During the interview, Mr. Fisher mentioned the need for a society editor for the paper. Mary advised that she had worked during the summers on the newspaper owned by her grandparents at Rolla, Missouri and this resulted in Mary being named the society editor for the paper. She named her column "Port Puree" and enjoyed the job for more than a year as she helped to increase the paper's circulation.\r\n\r\nA Memorial Mass with Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church at 2015 Singing Wind Drive, Kerrville TX on February 27, 2021 at 11:00AM. The Rothband's have been long time members of the parish. Following the service, a luncheon will be served for the family and attendees, followed by a private inurnment of Mary's ashes in the Harper Community Cemetery. \r\n\r\nMemorials may be made to St. Michaels or the charity of your choice.