MARY ALICE “M.A.” GRAY DUNSCOMBE 1938-2020
Mary Alice (M.A.) Gray Dunscombe, 81, went to be with the Lord on February 24, 2020. She was born in Estherville, Iowa and spent all of her summers at the Gray family cottage on Lake Okoboji. She graduated from Christian College and attended The University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri where she met her husband of 61 years. Tom and M.A. spent their first three years of marriage in Ft. Still, Oklahoma while Tom was serving in the Army. They moved to Dallas and spent six years there before moving to Houston for 45 years. They have spent the last six years in Dallas at CC Young Senior Living.
She is survived by her college sweetheart, Thomas Donovan Dunscombe, Jr. and her daughters and sons-inlaw, Amy and Stephen Burgher and Molly and Patrick O’Leary as well as her grandchildren, Mary Beth and Will Mogk, Stephen Burgher, Jr., Thomas Burgher, Parker and Nicole O’Leary and Davis O’Leary. Her brother and sister and their spouses,
Betsy and David Bucher and Paul and Patti Gray and her nieces, nephews, and grand nieces and nephews along with many loving cousins and friends are all survivors as well.
M.A. was a true gift to all who met her. Her priorities of family, friendship, hospitality, and living each day to bring glory to the Lord simply were evident in all that she said and did. Her small stature and gentle voice were never to be mistaken for weakness, for this lady was a strong and determined soul and accomplished much to benefit others during her well lived life. Her gifts of hospitality and attention to details were her distinct ways of loving others.
While living in Houston, M.A. served faithfully with many organizations including Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church, Young Life Ministries, and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Alumnae Association. She enjoyed playing bridge, lunching with friends, cooking and baking. She once said that her home was her castle, and her kitchen was her throne room. Those that know and love her couldn’t agree more.
A service to honor M.A.’s life and her eternal life in Christ will be held on Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m. in the chapel of Park Cities Presbyterian Church, 4124 Oak Lawn Avenue, Dallas, TX. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the CC Young Benevolence Fund (www.ccyoung.org), 4847 W. Lawther Drive, Suite 100, Dallas, TX 75214 in memory of M.A. Dunscombe. Her family is deeply grateful for the way in which the CC Young residents, staff, and Hospice Care Team attended to M.A. and Tom’s needs during the last days of her life.