Maree Elizabeth Minturn Calcote, 69, of Beaumont died Friday, August 11, 2006 at St. Luke’s Hospital, Houston.
Born in Shreveport, LA, on December 1, 1936 to S. B. “Pat” Minturn and Maree Majors Minturn, she grew up in Natchitoches, LA., and graduated from Northwestern State University where she majored in Speech Therapy and Speech and Drama. While working as a speech therapist in New Orleans she met The Reverend Alan Dean Calcote. They were married on August 12, 1961 and would have celebrated their 45th anniversary this past Saturday. They had two children, Alan and Sarah.
She continued teaching part time while her husband was on the staffs of All Saints Episcopal School in Vicksburg, MS. and Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, LA. In 1974, Maree and her family moved to Beaumont when her husband became Headmaster of All Saints Episcopal School. Over his twenty-four years in that position she taught drama, public speaking and cooking to Middle School students and became involved in a number of civic activities.
She served on the United Way Board, Symphony Board, and Beaumont Music Commission Board, but was best known for her activities associated with beautification projects in the city. She served on the Clean Community Commission and founded Beautify Beaumont, Inc. As Clean Community Chairwoman she helped bring the 1989 Governor’s Community Achievement Award to Beaumont. She started the city’s first drop-off recycling center which led to the city-wide recycling program. She was recognized for these efforts in 1990 as a local recipient of the Jefferson Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities. As a member of Beautify Beaumont, she planted trees and raised money to beautify public spaces. She also served on Board of Directors of Keep Texas Beautiful, Inc. and was recognized in 1989 as Outstanding District Governor. She was described by a former Mayor of Beaumont as “an organizer, a planner, a dreamer, and most importantly a ‘doer.’ She has the ability to see what can be accomplished and the talent to set it in motion and the intestinal fortitude to carry it through.”
She brought this same passion to gourmet cooking and to bread making, teaching cooking classes and sharing her sixty year old sourdough bread starter with many. She loved to entertain her family and friends. She never met a stranger and was always ready to help others. In recent years her greatest joy came from being with her three grandchildren.
Over the past several years she has fought a courageous battle against cancer with an iron determination not to give in to her illness and without complaint. We are grateful to the many doctors here and at Baylor College of Medicine as well as the nursing staffs of Christus Hospital St. Elizabeth and St. Luke’s Hospital in Houston, for their skillful, personal, and compassionate care.
She is survived by her husband The Reverend A. Dean Calcote; her mother, Maree Minturn of Natchitoches, LA.; her son, Alan Calcote and his wife Mary Leslie of Austin; her daughter, Sarah Sarahan and her husband Paul of Houston; three grandchildren, Allie Calcote, and Will and Kate Sarahan; her brothers, The Reverend Sterling Minturn of Chicago, IL., George Minturn and his wife Melody of Natchitoches, LA., and James Minturn of Dallas.
Funeral service will be 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 15, 2006 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church under the direction of Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin, Beaumont. A gathering of family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday, August 14, 2006 at the Mortuary.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine for bladder cancer research, 6560 Fannin St., Suite 2100, Houston, TX 77030; the Breast Care Center, Baylor College of Medicine for breast cancer research, 6550 Fannin St. Suite 701, Houston, TX 77030; All Saints Episcopal School Scholarship Fund, 4108 Delaware, Beaumont 77706; or St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Garden Fund, 680 Calder, Beaumont, TX 77701.
