Mary Louise Dunaway

Mary Louise Dunaway, 87, of Winnie, died Thursday, September 18, 2025. She was born on December 7, 1937, in Houston, to Mary Pearl Openshaw Emme and Carl Gustoff Emme.

Mary Louise had many hobbies. She loved gardening and had a green thumb. She was an avid reader of cozy mysteries and also liked working puzzles, doing word searches, Sudoku, and playing Solitaire. She and PPa enjoyed traveling, especially to Oregon and later Fredericksburg, and she always took lots of photos of their adventures. She drank hot tea with milk every day and also spilled the tea each morning with her friends on the phone. And of course her favorite thing in the world was spending time with her family, especially her grandkids and great-grandkids.

Survivors include her children, Scott Dunaway and his wife, Analyn; and Lisa Franzen and her husband, Steven; grandchildren, Brandon Dunaway and his wife, Kylee; Jason Dunaway and his wife, Monica; Kirbi Tharp and her husband, Matt; Shelby Franzen and her significant other, Paul; Mallory Simon and her husband, Sammy; Samantha Dunaway; and Alexandria Dunaway; great grandchildren, Charlie, Canyon, and Cambrie Dunaway, and Emme and Maeve Tharp.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Mary and Carl Emme; brother, Jimmie Emme; and husband, T. Gaylon Dunaway.

We want to thank those who have loved and cared for her over the years, including the wonderful women at the Arboretum, and Ms. Brown and Maria, who were also her loving friends and caregivers. And we also want to recognize Karen, her close friend, caregiver, and saint.

Memorial contributions may be made to First Baptist Church, P.O. Box 665, Winnie, Texas 77665.

A gathering of Mrs. Dunaway’s family and friends will begin at 3:00 p.m. with her funeral service at 4:00 p.m., Monday, September 22, 2025, at First Baptist Church, 120 West Pear Avenue, Winnie. Her interment will follow at Fairview Cemetery, Winnie, under the direction of Broussard’s, 134 West Buccaneer, Winnie.