Maria “Mary” Dolores Vila Davis

Angels guided Maria “Mary” Dolores Vila Davis, 88, to heaven on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. Her two daughters were by her side.

Mary was born to Buenaventura Vila Masdeu and Antonia Almar Masso on December 31, 1932, in Besalu, Gerona, Spain. She was the fourth of five children. During the Spanish Civil War, her father was exiled to France for 11 years, leaving Mary to help run the family business. One day while visiting her sister, she spied a handsome tall Texan, Fred Davis, a navy man enjoying shore leave in Barcelona. The minute they met, they fell in love. Fred was stationed in Roda, Spain and later Iceland, but couldn’t forgot his beautiful Spaniard. They married in Spain, and she loved him until the day she died.

Mary left Spain and her family to move to Texas in 1962. As she was just learning to speak English via BBC Records, she was surprised to find that there was no subway in Uvalde, Texas! She was a Texan and proud American from the moment she got here. She became a citizen in 1969, one of her proudest moments. Her daughters, Grace and Carolyn were born in Uvalde. In 1971, the family moved to San Marcos which was her home for the remainder of her life.

Mary was a stay-at-home mother until she and Fred divorced, when she began a 32-year career with the San Marcos school district. As a baker, she made the pink party cake beloved by all the children. She made many lifelong friends at the district and comforted many children. After retirement, she returned to work part time and didn’t fully retire until she was 81. She survived breast cancer twice and was a true fighter until the end.

After the 2015 floods, she moved to Mariposa Apartments. She enjoyed playing bingo and community events, particularly those with food! She travelled to Spain in 2019 to see her family one last time. She was a role model to her Barcelona family, for her courage to leave home and create a new life in another country. It was a wonderful trip and a gift for Grace, Carolyn, and her Spanish family members.

She is preceded in death by her parents (Buenaventura and Antonia), two brothers (Ramon and Joaquim), a sister (Candida) and her ex-husband (Fred Warren Davis, Jr.).

She is survived by her brother Antonio Vila (Lourdes) of Olot, Girona, Spain; her daughters Grace Lillian Davis (Pete Hoyt, Jr.) of San Marcos; Carolyn Marie Davis McCurdy (Scott McCurdy) of Bryan, Texas. The light of her life was her grandchildren and great-grandchildren: grandson Scotty McCurdy (Chelsea) of Fort Worth, Texas; granddaugh ter Tara McCurdy of Bryan; great-granddaughter Harper Jean McCurdy and great-grandson Mitcheal Scott “Tripp” McCurdy, III. There are several generations of nieces and nephews, both in Texas and Spain, who will miss her smile and love as we do. Her old and new friends alike will miss her long conversations. Special thanks go to Stella Soto for her loving care during the past year.

Visitation will take place on Thursday, September 16 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Thomason Funeral Home in San Marcos. Mass will be celebrated Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. at St. John’s Catholic Church in San Marcos. Interment will follow at the Kyle Cemetery. In Lieu of Flowers, please consider donating to the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Central Texas at bcrc.org. Arrangements are under the direction of Thomason Funeral Home. For more information and to sign the online registry, please visit thomasonfuneralhome.com.