Margaret Cannon Boyce Brown

Margaret Cannon

Boyce Brown devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend went to be with her Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ Sunday, the 29th day of October,

2023. She was just under 101 years old. Services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Saturday, November 11, 2023, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 515 Columbus Ave., Waco, Texas. Interment will follow at Oakwood Cemetery. The family will receive guests at the family home from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., the evening prior to the funeral. Margaret loved life, loved learning, loved people, and intentionally lived her faith in Jesus Christ with an outpouring of love and hospitality to all who crossed her path. As Discover Magazine noted, “If you have ever wondered what it would be like to be touched by the wand of a fairy godmother, it’s like being touched by Margaret. She exudes caring and kindness and is a shining example of loving your neighbor as yourself. In the past years, thousands of people have been the recipients of the nurturing of our extraordinary lady.” * Margaret was born in Amarillo, Texas, December 13, 1922, to John Kirkpatrick and Margaret Curtis Boyce. Both families were early settlers of Amarillo. The Curtises arriving in 1902 from Henrietta, Texas, and the Boyces, arriving from Tennessee in 1908. Her maternal grandfather and great-grandfather were early cattlemen of Amarillo and New Mexico. Her great-grandfather, the legendary William Riley “Bill” Curtis, was one of the pioneer cattlemen of the Diamond Tail Ranch in Texas. Margaret Cannon, as her Amarillo friends affectionately called her, attended Amarillo public schools and Amarillo Junior College. In 2002, she received the Amarillo College Distinguished Alumni Award. She received her Bachelor of Science in Home Economics degree at the University of Texas in Austin, graduating in 1944. She loved her time in Austin. She was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and would later receive the Theta of the Year award from both the Austin and Waco alumnae associations. After graduation, Margaret moved to New York City to attend Columbia University. She and three friends from Texas lived at the Barbizon Hotel for Women, enjoying all the city’s life and glamor. Margaret had never lived outside of Texas and considered her experience in New York City to be a pivotal time in her life. She earned a Master of Arts from Columbia in 1945. Upon graduating from Columbia, Margaret returned to Austin and taught Home Economics at the University of Texas from 1946-1951. She became an assistant professor and taught Cooking, Meal Planning and Table Service. Known as “The Bride’s Course,” it was a class taken by just about every female on campus. Many of these women would become her dear friends. In 1951, she married her beloved Shepherd Spencer Neville Brown of Waco, Texas. She once commented that, in her eyes, she never felt like Spencer aged since the day they first met. She loved wearing his camellias in her hair which became her signature look. She always said that Spencer was her greatest cheerleader. She had a small needlepoint pillow in her bedroom which read, “Happiness is Being Married to Your Best Friend.” This statement summed up their 58 years of marriage until he passed away Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009. Margaret and Spencer had 5 children: Maria, Spencer Jr., Margaret, Stanton and Boyce. On Christmas night 1961, they lost their oldest daughter Maria, aged 8, to a sudden illness affecting her heart. At the time, Margaret was six months pregnant with her fourth child. Margaret and Spencer relied on their faith in God’s promises and His Word to carry them through this difficult time. Rather than allow their grief to devastate themselves and their family, they chose to use their grief as a catalyst to help others in their suffering. This loss of her firstborn, began a quiet ministry to other grieving mothers. When Margaret heard of a mother who had lost a child, whether she knew them or not, she would go to comfort that mother with words of encouragement, sharing that there could be life and hope after such a great loss. This was a service to others that she never talked about. She just loved and cared for others who were hurting. Margaret’s sincere love for family and friends extended to her community with a great love for the arts, education, and historical preservation. She used her amazing talents of innovative thinking, courage, determination and her love of people to create projects that would better the lives of those around her and bring friends together for a worthy cause. In 1956, Margaret had a vision to start a preschool of exemplary standards and Christian values which her daughter Maria would be able to attend. Her idea of a preschool program for 3-year-olds (added to an existing church-school) was rejected. Margaret, not to be deterred, went to her own rector proposing that her church start their own school. With friends and her organizational skills, St. Paul’s School opened in September of 1956, and now operates preschool through sixth grade. That same year, she served as Chairman of the Ways and Means committee of the Junior League of Waco where she spearheaded the fund raising for and renovation of the historic home Fort House for their headquarters. In 1970, Fort House was recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. In her term as president of the Junior League of Waco, 1959 through 1960, Margaret proposed the creation of a charity ball to raise funds for the Waco community. She gathered a group of friends and together they launched the Junior League Charity Ball which served as a major fundraiser for the city of Waco for many years. In 1965, the Waco Symphony needed community and financial support. Margaret had the idea of creating a Junior Belles program to raise money for the symphony and provide a cultural experience for young women in their junior year of high school. The idea was embraced and was a grand success and served as the predecessor to the current Belles and Brass program. Margaret’s talent for organization and her love for her country created an historic opportunity. In 1961, Margaret was approached by three Waco businessmen and asked to help run the state-wide campaign for John Tower, who was running as a Republican for the U.S Senate. At that time, Texas was a one-party state and most thought that a Republican win was impossible. But, having seen impossibilities turn into possibilities, Margaret was undaunted and enthusiastically accepted the challenge. John Tower became the state’s next senator and served for over 24 years. He was the first Republican senator elected in Texas since Reconstruction in the 1870’s. His election pioneered the way for future Republicans to be elected in Texas and for the future of Texas as a two-party state. Margaret’s passion for history and her country served as the foundation for her love of historical preservation. She believed that preserving historical homes and opening them as public museums, brought history to life and taught a new generation to appreciate the courage and bravery of the past. She hoped that the wisdom from past generations could inspire future heroes to preserve our freedoms and this great nation. Through her membership and leadership in such organizations as the National Society of Colonial Dames of America (NSCDA), Sulgrave Manor, Daughters of the American Revolution and Daughters of the Republic of Texas, her passion for bringing history to life for her fellow countrymen was fulfilled. With the NSCDA, she served as president of the Texas chapter as well as corresponding secretary. During her tenure as NSCDA Texas Chapter President, she was honored to help support the Neil-Cochran House Museum in Austin, Texas, which the Texas Society of NSCDA continues to manage.

She also served internationally for 10 years as a board member for the Sulgrave Manor, George Washington’s ancestral home in Banbury, England. Built in 1539, this museum home is visited by people from all over the world. She loved her yearly trips to England and as her board position was ending, she and Spencer were honored to provide the funding to build the Courtyard Hall, a beautiful event center for Sulgrave Manor. Margaret served as a board member and as a Board Emeritus member of the Friends of the Governor’s Mansion in Austin, Texas. This organization preserves the historical collections, beautifies the gardens and educates the public about this historic house. In addition to historic preservation, Margaret was also passionate about the arts.