After Mary Francis Luther was announced as the winner of our Mother’s Day photo contest in early May, we reached out to her family to get to know a little bit more about our long-time neighbor:
Mary Frances Lawrence moved to Dallas at age 16 immediately after graduating from Wills Point High School in 1943. She worked at Reserve Loan Life Insurance Company in Downtown Dallas and took voice lessons every week. She lived at a boarding house on Swiss Avenue in East Dallas and later lived on Gaston Avenue, Travis Street and La Vista Avenue.
In the summer of 1945 she quit her current job at Alamo Loan Services to perform in the Starlight Operetta, later called the Dallas Summer Musicals. Â She was paid $35 per week to sing in the chorus.
Mary Frances married Paul Luther in 1947 and they bought their first home in University Park near the Southern Methodist University campus where they both attended college.
Mary Frances carries her music books on Elm Street on her way to Whittle Music Company for a voice lesson in 1944 in Downtown Dallas. Photo courtesy Jeanie Wood.
After outgrowing their home in University Park, they moved to the Hillside neighborhood. In 1960, they purchased a lot in Lake Highlands and began construction on their soon to be new and hopefully final home.
In the hot summer of 1961, Mary Frances and her large family moved to their newly constructed home on a hill in Lake Highlands. All of her seven children attended White Rock Elementary and Lake Highlands High School. One of her granddaughters recently bought a home in Lake Highlands and may soon be enrolling her two daughters in the Lake Highlands school district.
Mary Frances will soon be celebrating her 95 years-young-birthday as she continues to enjoy her Lake Highlands home and beautiful neighborhood.
Happy Mother’s Day to our wonderful Mom from your seven children, 17 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren!
This text was provided by Mary Francis Luther’s family, and was edited for clarity and publication style.
