Ann "Doodie" Wallace
1930-2018
Ann "Doodie" Carrell Milner Wallace passed away on Saturday the 22nd of September at the age of 88. She was born in Houston on June 11th, 1930, to Robert Wells Milner Jr. and Mae Carrell Milner Beck. She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother who placed enormous value on the importance of family and her treasured friendships.
She is survived by her loving husband of 65 years, Donnel Wallace; her daughter Kathryn Wallace Preng; her half-sisters, Patty and husband Jeff Marvel, Betty and husband Herb Blake; her grandchildren, Andrew Preng, James Preng, and Julie Wallace; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her parents; two siblings, Jean Whitman and Robert "Sonny" Wells Milner III; and her son, Donnel Stanley Wallace.
Doodie attended Lamar high school and graduated from Baylor University with a B.A. in Education. She met Lt. Donnel Wallace on a blind date and they married in 1953. Their early years together were spent in Germany where she had their first child, Kathryn, and he completed his Air Force tour of duty. They welcomed their second child, Don, in Norman, Oklahoma before returning to make Houston their permanent home. Doodie was delighted to be closer to her family and taught third grade at HISD while her husband obtained his doctoral degree. They designed a new family home where she enjoyed being a full-time mother and homemaker until her children married. She resumed teaching at Grace Presbyterian Church School until her grandchildren arrived and became her joys.
Doodie was a member of the Briargrove Park Women's club, Baylor Women's Association, DAR, and NAMI. She enjoyed tennis, bridge, quality films, non-fiction reading, and hosting gatherings where she served delicious homemade feasts. Beneath all this activity, her family was her heart and her priority. She built bridges to reconnect relatives, tended to those in need, and was a steadfast advocate for her son throughout his 20-year struggle with mental illness.
Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial gathering to be held in the library of Grace Presbyterian Church, 10221 Ella Lee Lane, on Saturday, October 20th, between the hours of eleven and one. In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions in her memory may be directed to the National Alliance of Mental Illness Texas Chapter at namitexas.org, or NAMI Texas, P.O. Box 300817, Austin, TX 78703.