Mary Louise Valentine: Blessed Memories
Mary Louise Valentine: Blessed Memories
By Darold Morgan
We note with sorrow, and yet gratitude, that Mrs. Mary Louise Valentine passed away in Dallas on October 9, 2014. She and Foy Valentine, the founder of Christian Ethics Today, were married for 58 years before his death in 2006. Memorial services were conducted at her church, Park Cities Baptist Church, on October 16th by Darold Morgan, David Sapp, John Scott, and Charles Worley. Burial was beside Foy and a young daughter in a country cemetery near Foy’s home territory in Van Zandt County, East Texas. She is survived by three daughters, Jean, Carol and Susan and the great and great grandchildren.
Born in Fort Worth, Mary Louise was a graduate of Rice University. Throughout Foy’s world-wide ministry, she supported him with love and understanding far beyond the average. Her family agrees that the homelife she created, her support when so many challenges came Foy’s way, and the depth of love in the home was of exceptional dimensions. This was the main emphasis of the memorial service that honored her. The final verses of I Corinthians 13 were used. The New English Bible version of verse 13 says: “There are three great things that last forever….faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
The application was quite simple. Mary Louise had values that grew out of her deep faith in Christ. Added to that is the strong
confidence that hope lies in eternal life, complete with some blessed reunions. And, there is love which is grounded in that faith and hope has produced a beautiful life….that Foy would agree is of major importance to all his work.
She and Foy retired from the Christian Life Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention in Nashville in 1988. They moved back to Dallas where their roots were strong. Here was born the concept of the quarterly journal, Christian Ethics Today, and the Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, Foy’s alma mater. In the early years of the quarterly, Mary Louise was the proof reader along with many other tasks involved in the journal’s production, mailing list, and other clerical details. She and her daughters continued the task of raising funds for the Valentine Chair of Ethics at Truett Seminary, a part of Baylor University.
Mary Louise traveled far and wide with Foy during his ministry, but of signal importance to her was the keeping of a warm and welcoming home for the family. She welcomed many visitors, served splendid meals, and was always charming. Many of us have fond memories of being in her home. Perhaps a highlight of her memorial service was when a grandson read those memorable words from Proverbs: “Her children rise up and bless her, her husband also, and he praises her, saying, ‘many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all’.”
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