Constance D. Marmon

Born October 8, 1918- Died April 10, 2017

Constance Shaw Dove Marmon was born the middle child of 5 sisters in San Antonio, TX to Grace Chandler Diehl Shaw and Silas Frederick Shaw

She is predeceased by her parents; Grace Shaw and Fred Shaw and sisters Mary Elizabeth Shaw Reynolds, Dorothy Shaw Bonner, Frederica Shaw Leith, Grace Ellen Shaw Cline.

She graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 1934. Connie attended Incarnate Word College, The University of Oklahoma, and graduated from Texas A&I college in Kingsville. Texas in 1955 with a BS in Biology. She earned her Masters degree in Mathematics from Texas Tech in 1967

Connie married Josiah Pancoast Dove on 9-17-1937 after they had met at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, home to both families. Connie and Joe had two children; son Josiah Pancoast Dove, Jr (Barbara) and Grace Elizabeth (Betty) Dove Lewandowski (Nick). She taught school for 20 years in Alice, Texas; Midland, Texas; and retired from MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas. Education was of high value, she helped others to attain their academic goals monetarily and with moral support. Connie was a career woman; but she also had time to cook and bake wonderfully, sew everything, and can items from her prolific gardens.

In retirement years, they enjoyed stained glass designing and glass cutting. They created a window for the Sanctuary of St Helena’s in Boerne, Texas. They also contributed the stained-glass work at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church downtown San Antonio (St Joske’s).

When Joe was in failing health, he asked his childhood friend, Tom Marmon to make sure Connie was taken care of after his death. A few years later Tom and Connie married and were together 7 years until Tom’s death in 1995.

Connie loved all her family and was happiest when surrounded by them. Of great joy to Connie were her treasured Grandchildren; grandson Steven Todd Dove (Lee Anne), granddaughters; Jennifer Ann Dove, Kathleen Elizabeth Vaughn (Rusty), Connie Gillette (Tom): Lynette Lewandowski Mandry (Fred), LeeAnn Lewandowski, Lori Lewandowski Bagley, and John Lewandowski.

Great grandchildren are Avery Brown, Tim Cammer (Chelsey), Ben Cammer (Sara), and Josiah Cammer; Morgan Gillette; Kyndall and Kaitlyn Mandry; Meghan, Shayne, and Hanna Bagley; Cheyanne Huffman; Camryn Lewandowski; Jason Vaughn; Whitney Vaughn Gabourel (Gailen) and Great Great grandchild Cameron Olivia Gabourel.

Many Nieces and Nephews also loved their Aunt Connie.

Momma’s early years were spent in Mexico with her family and she was home schooled by her Mother. The girls were speaking Spanish from early on. Papa was the Supervisor of a mine there. Grandmommy would come back to the States to deliver her daughters, maybe safety, but saying they did not want them to be denied a chance at the presidency. It was scary times with Pancho Villa leading his rebellion. When raids were expected, valuables would be hidden under the windowsills. They escaped Poncho Villa by train as he chased them on horseback. And returned to Alamo Heights. Papa was supervisor of a mine there. Papa discovered gas lift because the mines would flood and be dangerous. He was also amazing. Well known in his field of petroleum engineering.

Contributions to education

Devoted to church - treasurer at St Helena in Boerne

A memorial Service will be held at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Spirit on April 28, 2017 at 2:00 pm. at 11093 Bandera Rd, San Antonio, TX 78250. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be given to the Scholarship Program of your choice

Story of Joe and Connie Marmon 1937 – 1996 by Connie

Connie had graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 1934 at a tender age of 15 and parents decided she was too young to go to College, so they decided she should go to Draughon’s Business College to learn typing and shorthand. She enjoyed the shorthand but did not do so well in typing. She really didn’t stay all day at the Business College but went to St. Mark’s Church for lunch and then spent most afternoons helping in the office with mimeograph work, addressing envelopes, learning to colligate materials and I really enjoyed doing those things.

Miss Nellie Pancoast was working there part time and we became good friends. Miss Nellie was my mother’s age and she was a very a gentle lady. She decided that she should invite me to her house to spend the night with her niece, Mary Elizabeth Dove who lived in the same house. We visited and were getting acquainted when her brother, Joe, came in. He entertained us and taught us to roll Bull Duram ciggarettes and each of us took a drag but neither of us girls liked it, but Joe did. He really put on a show for us and whereas I was delighted, Mary Elizabeth was bored and put out with him.

Not too long after that meeting, Joe Dove and Tom Marmon came to see me on Tom’s motorcycle and they each took me for a ride and I was delighted.

My oldest sister, Grace Ellen was working for the United Production Co in Beeville and her boss, Mr. Stewart, Picked her up in his car early Monday mornings and then returned her to 301 Terrell Rd. every Friday P.M.

The company that they were working for (United Producing Co) told Grace they really needed a typist and if she could find one, “bring her in”. So, I joined the Gracie and Stewart riders. And I worked for the company 2 months typing 8 hrs. a day - less time off to eat, etc.

Mother told me that I should quit my job because I had saved enough to go the Incarnate Word College in Sept. 1934. Father didn’t have a steady job but he wanted me to go to college. There were 5 of us girls and it was Father’s goal that all 5 of us should go to different colleges, get degrees in different subject groups, belong to different sororities and then come home and a fight over whose school was the best. The Incarnate Word College was just a few blocks from where we lived so transportation wasn’t very expensive.

My sister Mary was 21/2 yrs. older than me and she had gone to IWC for two years, and now (1934) she was going to University of Texas and was majoring in Math. Father told her that he had invented a new way to get oil out of the ground through the holes dug down to a depth of 3000 or 4000 ft. Now if she and her professors could use his statistics and make up a mathematical formula for his work that she would have more than paid for her college education. She was taking a course where they took information and tried to build formulas.. Well, they did it., but she managed to fail a course in English literature and she was terribly upset. Father told her to sign up for the course for the summertime. She did and passed it a father was really very proud of her and never fussed about taking the English course twice. He told her that the formula was worth twice her entire course of study to get her degree in Mathematics.

Joe Dove showed up on the scene and I just loved every minute he was around. He was a bit shy, but he had a gift of gab which really got to me. He joked all the time but he never made fun of any one [person. Then at Christmas time, we got engaged and I was 18 and Mother had a fit. My Grandmother, whom we called Nana, asked me about Joe and his family and she told me she knew Miss Nellie Pancoast (Joe’s aunt) at the San Antonio Reading Club. Boy, that really took the heat off of me because Joe was of a fine family. So he gave me a ring for Christmas and I was out of this world walking and dreaming on air.

So, then in August my family sent me to Oklahoma University so Papa could show me around the oil fields and his work over the weekend. My family really tried to get my mind and heart off of Joe, but it never worked. I passed most of my courses at O.U. including surveying, Petroleum Production Method, Geology of locating Petroleum deposits, Oklahoma history, General Geology, etc.

In August 1936, Joe and I married and I never went away from him again. Our first child was a little boy, Joe, Jr whom we called Pat and we both loved him very much and still do.

Joe began to tell me about his work at the bank and he said” Sometimes it’s very hard to read what people wrote on checks”. I told him that he ought to go see his cousin who was an ophthalmologist to find out why he was having so much trouble. He got a prescription for glasses and enjoyed reading ever after that.

Joe and I bought a little house in Alamo Heights for $20.00 a month, even so we had to be very careful how we spent money on anything, food clothes, car, ect. The bank just didn’t pay very much. Then I got pregnant again and this time we had a precious little girl. We did not agree on a name until I wanted Grace Elizabeth (for my Mother) and he finally agreed, if we’d call her Betty.

Both of my redelivery labors were long and drawn out, like I’d be in the hospital 10 - 12 hours in hard labor. Joe’s first words after I finally came out of anesthetic were, “ I’m so proud of you, a boy for me and a girl for you” It would have been just as true the other way around but anyhow, we were happy.

Joe’s parents, Dove Srs., had lived out in the country trying to run a dairy farm and Mr. Dove (whom I never saw) evidently has quite a way with words which my husband, Joe, picked up from him. One of these places was adjacent to the Marmon’s, who had a much larger dairy farm. Joe Dove and Tom Marmon walked to school together and became fast friends.

Tom Marmon went to CCC camp when President Roosevelt accounted it. There he began to learn the rules of Army life. After that he also joined the Army Reserves which met on Saturday or Sunday to learn more about Army life but especially for the $1.00 which was paid them for attendance.

Years later Tom asked Joe if Joe would drive him to Houston in his car, and naturally he did. And once in the Army, he began to climb the Army ladder. During World War !! He was inducted into the US Army Mechanized Calvary. In 1940 he served during was and peace in Italy. After WWII, he was returned to the States and was about to retire when they checked his record and found he was a lawyer and suggested that hey needed attorneys for the trials in Germany. So he was sent to Germany. Shortly thereafter, he served as legal officer in the 7708 War Crimes group. He also adjudicated claims from the Texas City Disaster and others. Among his awards were the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. He retired as Chief of the US Army Claims Division of the Judge Advocate General Corp, 1972. And, then he served as Civilian Hear of Maritime Claims for the Army, 1972-1977.

He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia with full military honors in Dec.1995.

Joe died in 1986.

Arrangements under the direction of NEPTUNE SOCIETY - San Antonio, San Antonio, TX.