Mary Elizabeth Ponder

Born in Ranger, Texas on December 7, 1935, Mary Russell Ponder was the third child born to Roy and Pearl Russell.  Her family moved to Athens, Texas in 1946 where she attended and graduated from Athens High School and earned her Associate’s degree from Henderson County Junior College. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at Oklahoma College for Women. She was known to her classmates for her sense of humor, fun-loving personality, and athleticism, especially in tennis, for which she won titles at the state level.

While teaching physical education in Tulsa, Oklahoma she was introduced to the love of her life and future husband, Charles Ponder, through her sister and brother-in-law, Clara and Walter Arterburn, who lived in Bryan, Texas. Mary and Charles were married on December 1, 1962 at All Faith’s Chapel on the Texas A&M Campus. Mary gave birth to their first child, Patti, in 1964 just before they moved to Midland, Texas later that year. Their second child, Lynn, was born in Midland in 1967. While in Midland, Mary rekindled her love for playing tennis and remained a highly competitive tennis player until her late 60’s earning national titles in amateur tournaments until knee injuries forced her to stop playing. She was a lifelong athlete who took up golf with Charles and even basketball later in life. She was also a fan of many sports, especially volleyball, when her daughter or granddaughters were playing. In 1970 Mary and Charles moved to Dallas, Texas where they raised their daughters and lived for the next 38 years as Charles advanced in his career with Universal Resources Corporation.

Mary and Charles had a marriage that was admired by all who knew them and their home was always a place of gracious hospitality. She also loved being a dedicated mother and homemaker. But most of all, Mary came to love Jesus as her source of joy and hope to the day that she passed from this earth. Her appetite for spiritual growth and biblical understanding was insatiable and unbounded by denominational lines. Her love for God overflowed into love and ministry to those around her, and she did not hesitate to share with anyone the reason for her hope. She had friends of all ages and an amazing ability to remember what was going on in the lives of those around her. Her relationship with Charles grew sweeter as the years passed and together they were active at the First Methodist Church in Richardson, Texas and then at Christ Church in College Station when they moved back to Bryan in 2008.  In the final years of their marriage, they enjoyed traveling and following their grandchildren’s activities and were often seen at sporting events.

Mary’s faith in Jesus sustained her through the loss of Charles in 2019 and significant health challenges in the years that followed. The joy she found in relationships, her love for God’s word, and her generosity were undiminished even as physical pain became an ever-present reality, and there is no doubt that she finished well. Mary passed from death to life on October 23,2024 at the age of 88. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Clara Arterburn, and her husband Charles Ponder. She is survived by her brother, Bill Russell, children Patti Ponder Edgar (husband, Roger Edgar) and Lynn Ponder Moore (husband Brian Moore), along with her grandchildren Lauren Powell, Calvin Clare Edgar, Corinna Edgar, Ethan Edgar and bonus grandchildren Zachary and Sydney Moore.

A service of celebration and gratitude for the life of Mary Russell Ponder will be held at Christ Church, College Station, on Saturday, November 9 at noon with a reception at the church to follow. Please see the Callaway Jones website for a list of charitable organizations that Mary loved and supported.