Mary Alice Vandeventer

Mary Vandeventer, 90, passed away peacefully Tuesday, January 28, 2014. She was born March 18, 1923, to Thomas R. and Eunice (Smart) Putnam in Lueders, Texas.
She grew up in Lueders where she graduated from high school in 1941. Mary continued her education at Texas Women’s University in Denton with a one-year break to train and fly military aircraft in stateside missions for the Women’s Air Service Pilots (WASPs) during WWII. She later taught school for twenty years at Lueders-Avoca. In her retirement years, she traveled the world and participated in WASP events and reunions including volunteer work for the National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater, TX. In 2010, she and all the WASPs were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their service during the war.
Mary was an independent spirit and lived a life full of adventure. She loved theater, be it Broadway plays or coaching the UIL plays at Lueders-Avoca. She was emotive and passionate in her convictions. Mary also had a deep love for animals, especially those that needed a loving home.
Survivors include two daughters, Teresa Dominy of Abilene and Sheri Vandeventer (husband Dave Seltenrich) of Valley Center CA; two granddaughters, Joni McKinnon (Richie) of Abilene and Julia Mills Watkins (David), of Funston; five great grandchildren, Kaitlyn Bone, Kyler Bone, Keelan McKinnon, Corbin Mills, and Lola Mills, and several nieces and nephews.
Services will be held Saturday, February 1st, at the Lueders Methodist Church in Lueders, Texas with Rev. Roy McEwen officiating: visitation 10 – 11am, funeral 11am. Burial with military honors will follow at 2:00 pm at the Throckmorton Cemetery in Throckmorton under the direction of Tankersley Funeral Home, 807 S. Columbia Stamford, Texas.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in honor of Mary to the National WASP WWII Museum, 210 Avenger Field Rd, PO Box 456, Sweetwater, TX 79556, 325-235-0099, or online at http://waspmuseum.org