Mary Raper

Mary Elizabeth Melton Dixon Raper, age 82 of Temple, passed from this life Monday, December 26, 2022, at home. Services will be held at 11 am Saturday, January 7, 2023, at Heights Baptist Church in Temple.

Mary was born on April 11, 1940, to Samuel Newton Melton and Ruth Adalia Fahnstrom in Austin, Texas. She married John C. Raper, Jr. on July 25, 1986. She graduated from Temple High School in 1958 and went on to become a Licensed Vocational Nurse. She applied her talent at King’s Daughters Hospital, where she was a floor nurse and most notably worked in the ER, and then at Scott & White Hospital, working in the Cancer Center until she retired. She was a member of Heights Baptist Church in Temple, where she sang in the choir, taught Sunday School, lead women’s Bible study groups, and helped with Feed My Sheep.

Mary is preceded in death by her parents; brother, Samuel Melton, Jr.; son-in-law, Kevin Cooper; granddaughter, Stephanie Terlisner; great granddaughter, Danielle Terlisner; and great grandson, Cooper Dixon.

Those left to honor and cherish her memory are her husband; sons, Chris Dixon and wife, Flordeliz of Dickinson, and Keith Dixon and wife, Donna of Temple; daughter, Kelli Dixon Cooper McDonald and husband, Darold of Temple; 10 grandchildren, Astrid, Joshua, Kylie, Matthew, Malinda, Nicky, Todd, Tori, Trent, and Tyler; 16 great grandchildren, Amyria, Arysa, Brianna, Brooklynn, Isiah, Kinley, Ky, Liliana, Mya, Natalie, Nathaniel, Nicole, Parker, Tyler, Zayne, and Zeyvian; and 2 great great grandchildren.

Memorial donations may be made to Heights Baptist Church in Temple.

Harper-Talasek Funeral Home in Temple is in charge of arrangements.