Mary Helen Nixon Landes, age 96, died September 8, 2016, at her residence at Calder Woods, Beaumont, Texas. Mary Helen was born on December 21, 1919, in Athens, Texas, to Neelie Hearn Nixon and Edward Hamilton Nixon.
She was the valedictorian of her 1937 high school class in Mabank, Texas. She earned both bachelors and masters degrees from West Texas State Teachers College, where she also greatly enjoyed her elective courses in set design and costume in Theater Arts. Mary Helen then chose to take a teaching position for several years at a United States Military Base in Kodiak, Alaskan Territory.
She married J.D. Landes, a professor and later Dean of the Business School at Lamar University, on August 8, 1952. In their early married years, Mary Helen tutored algebra and taught English at James Bowie Junior High School. The couple lived out their remaining years in Beaumont where they continued to take an interest in and to support Lamar University.
Mrs. Landes was an active, long-time member of First Baptist Church of Beaumont. She served on numerous church committees and sang in the Adult Choir for many years. Mary Helen especially enjoyed participating in the First Baptist Passion Plays performed at Julie Rogers Auditorium in the mid-1990’s where she was also instrumental in the costume design. But, she is best remembered for her Sunday morning Ladies Bible classes and the International’s Friendship ESL class. She taught both these groups for decades until just this past year. Mary Helen loved to supply her students and friends with books, notes and poetry of encouragement, often complete with a bookmark that she had personally hand tatted.
One of her great pleasures was serving as a volunteer at Baptist Hospital for more than twenty years.
Mary Helen is survived by several distant relatives as well as by her family of the heart-Sandra and Jimmie Carpenter and Sharon Mathews.
A memorial service celebrating Mary Helen’s life will be 3:00 p.m., Sunday, September 18, 2016, at First Baptist Church, 3739 North Major Drive, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A graveside service was held Saturday, September 10, 2016, at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Mabank.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church, 3739 North Major Drive, Beaumont, Texas 77713.
