MARY MARGARET (LOVE) GAITHER

1927-2018

Mary Margaret Love was born April 26th, 1927 in Endee, New Mexico went to be with her Lord and Savior on July 5th, 2018. She was surrounded by most of her immediate family, 23 in all, who loved on her, prayed over her, and sang her soul into Heaven where she was joyfully reunited with the love of her life, her husband, Orville D. Gaither, Sr.

Born to Myna Mae and John D. Love, she was the youngest of three children and lived her early years on farms in Northeast New Mexico and the Texas Panhandle. Margaret graduated from Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio. In college, she excelled and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Texas and became one of the State of Texas’ first LMSW’s (Licensed Masters of Social Work).

Margaret began her career at the University of TexasM.D. Anderson and Baylor University-Jefferson Davis Hospitals as a psychiatric social worker. She also held the position of Consulting Social Worker for the Visiting Nurses Association of Houston. There, she and her co-workers helped pioneer the home care program for terminally ill cancer patients and provided family counseling during the early days of hospice care.

On February 12th, 1954 she married Orville D. Gaither and they began a love affair that will last for eternity. Margaret and Orville had 4 children and lived an amazing life, traveling the world on Orville’s numerous international assignments with Amoco. Margaret was an explorer, and an experienced traveler as well as a “tough” woman. If Orville was away on a temporary assignment, she often took her young children on extended trips across Europe, South America or the United States.

Margaret was a big believer in empowering and supporting women and she understood the stress living abroad could have on a family and a marriage. No matter where she was, she immediately become involved and championed many different woman’s associations and clubs, in an effort to help ex-patriot families with the challenges of living abroad. To that end, if there wasn’t already a Society of Petroleum Engineers Woman’s Auxiliary Chapter present, then she started one.

Once back in the United States, and understanding first-hand the need to better educate families for an overseas assignment, Margaret and Orville decided to partner with another couple well seasoned in international living. Together they undertook the educational challenge by writing a book called “Americans Abroad” in an effort to help those undertaking a foreign assignment to understand the vagaries of living abroad, allowing them to be better prepared and preventing “Culture Shock”. The book soon became the “How To” training manual for many companies operating internationally.

As a wife and mother, Margaret was the number one advocate of her husband and her children. She was the reason for the successes each of them has enjoyed. She was a Cub Scout Den Mother and Scout leader and together with Orville, was active in scouting her entire adult life. Orville and all 3 of her sons and 2 of her Grandsons earned the highest rank in Scouting, the Eagle Scout Award. She was very proud of her Eagle Scouts and the Gaither family was recently honored as one of the very few third generation Eagle Scout families in the nation.

Margaret was a visionary leader that loved and supported her family; a true matriarch and a great mother, aunt and grandmother. She was also the quintessential southern hostess and loved to entertain and did so worldwide in every country that she and her family lived. She annually held a women’s Christmas party reaching out to her widowed friends and even planned international trips for the group. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, friends or those with no place to go were always invited. There was always room for “one more person” at Margaret’s table.

Margaret felt strongly about education and firmly believed that an education was “one thing no-one could ever take away from you.” She encouraged her children and grandchildren to excel in their educations. Margaret and Orville underwrote tuitions for many family members and friends over the years.

In 2001, Margaret established the Margaret Love Gaither Scholarship Fund for incoming freshman at Incarnate Word High School in San Antonio. In 2009, the Margaret Love Gaither Endowed Excellence Fund was established for the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at The University of Texas. The fund provides financial support for social work students enrolled in the MSSW/ JD (dual degree with the School of Law) or students in the Administration and Policy Practice (APP) concentration. She felt strongly about the impact social work has on society and practiced it throughout her life, counseling and encouraging hundreds of people.

Margaret and Orville were always involved in Children’s Charities no matter where they lived. They were cofounding directors in 1966 of a non-profit organization, Spindletop Charities, Inc., which began in Lafayette, Louisiana. Today, Spindletop’s primary focus is helping disadvantaged children in the Houston area and across Texas. It has been highly successful and has helped thousands of children to get a head start in life. Since its inception, Spindletop has contributed more than $21 million to youth charities.

Whenever Margaret saw the opportunity to help children in need, she rose to the occasion. In the early 80’s, she began to see the toll that drugs and alcohol were taking on Houston’s youth. Margaret and Orville chose to make a difference. A facility and land were donated, and they becane to gather used office furniture, clothes and equipment. With their children and a crew of oil industry friends and supporters, they built Odyssey House Texas from the ground up. Odyssey House is a private, not-for-profit organization which is now a division of Cenikor Foundation and continues to provide free treatment, rehabilitation, housing and education to youth and families whose lives have been devastated by drugs, alcohol, and abuse.

As a philanthropist, she supported many national, local and international ministries. Through her daughter, Dona, and son-in-law Rafael, Margaret, along with Orville, became involved in a program that is helping single mothers in the poorest barrio in Cartagena, Colombia. The program has given many young women and mothers the opportunity to be self-sustaining and support their families. Margaret often said that this one of the most rewarding programs she was ever involved in and through multiple trips to Colombia, she got to see first-hand the difference they were making in women’s lives.

Margaret was also an avid financial supporter and believer in International Treasure House Ministries. ITHM rescues orphans and destitute children in Kenya by breaking the cycle of poverty, and through introduction to Jesus Christ, education, family, and adoption, shows them that they are treasures and their lives have value. In addition to sharing the Gospel, ITHM provides quality education and meets the children’s practical needs by providing safe housing and placing them in familial surroundings.

In addition, Margaret was a great believer and financial supporter of Living Water International (LWI), a charity that “exists to demonstrate the love of God by helping communities acquire desperately needed clean water.” In 1990, Orville was instrumental in helping Living Water obtain their first real drilling rig in Kenya, which was donated by Amoco International. Since then, LWI has completed more than 18,000 water projects serving 5 million people around the world.

Margaret was preceded in death by her parents, her brother, John Love and sister Ruth (Love) Gandy. She is survived by her three sons, O. Duane Gaither II (Christine), Douglas Gaither (Cindy), David Gaither (Ginger); and her daughter, Dona Gaither-Guerrero (Rafael); and grandchildren, Orville Duane “Trey” Gaither III (Estelle), Lillian Gaither, Chelsea Gaither, Michael Gaither (Karina), Nicholas Gaither, Anne Gaither, Adriana Guerrero, Callan Gaither and numerous nieces and nephews.

A Memorial Service and Celebration of her Life will be held Saturday, July 28, 2018 at First Christian Church of Houston located at 1601 Sunset Boulevard at 11:00 A.M. As Margaret would want it, lunch will be served immediately following the Service.

The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, contributions in the honor of Mary Margaret Love Gaither, be made to Spindletop Charities at www.spindletopcharities.org