Mrs. Mary L. Salter, 87, of Orange, Texas Passed away on Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at Christus St. Elizabeth Hospital in Beaumont, Texas.
Celebration Service for Mrs. Salter will be held on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. at Kingdom Fellowship Tabernacle located at 1612 10th Street, Orange, Texas 77360. A public viewing will be held on Friday, September 22, 2023 from 12:00 Noon until 5:00 p.m. at Price Mortuary and on Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at the church, with burial to follow at Hollywood Cemetery under the directions of Price Mortuary. For your safety, social distancing and facial masks recommended.
Obituary
Mary Lee Garner-Salter was born on September 13, 1936, to Reverend Allen Leamon and Lony Ree Garner in Florien, LA. She was one of ten children. She attended Florien High School where she graduated with honors. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, and she was baptized at an early age. She married Charles H. Salter, and from that union they had six children: the late Doris Faye Garner, Charles Salter (Joe Sally), Yolanda Daniel (Donald), Phillip Salter (Joan), Felice Salter, and the late Richard B. Salter (Terrie).
The family moved from Compton, California to Orange, Texas. Mary joined El Bethel Baptist Church, where she sang in the choir and served as the announcement clerk. In 1986, she joined Mount Calvary Baptist Church and served there for many years under the leadership of Pastor George H. Brown. During her time there, Mary used her talents in many areas that include: Senior Choir, Senior Mission, Vacation Bible School, and Sunday School Superintendent.
As her health began to decline, she was no longer able to attend church. Leaving Mount Calvary—her church home wasn’t an easy decision. She prayed and prayed. She loved her church and her leaders—Rev. John and Lady Cynthia Smith. In January of 2023, she joined Kingdom Fellowship Tabernacle. Mary was so determined to get back to church that she was pushed in her wheelchair from her residence to enjoy service. On April 9, 2023, she suffered a massive stroke. She went to church on Easter Sunday and shared with us how much she enjoyed it. No one knew that it would be her last Sunday at church.
During her stay at the nursing home, she would listen to gospel music. The stroke left her nonverbal, weak on one side, and unable to walk. She was a good soldier. She fought a good fight and never gave up. Mary knew that giving up wasn’t an option. She was determined to finish the race, and she did just that. We know that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Mary made a grand exit from this world on her 87th birthday. We know that you are singing and walking around Heaven. Mary fought a good fight, she finished the course, and she kept her faith.
Mary was preceded in death by: her parents, her siblings (six brothers and three sisters), her husband—Charles H. Salter, her children (Doris Faye Garner and Richard B. Salter), her special friends (Mary Alice Green, Mrs. Bonnie Bellard, Mother Beatrice Fezia, and Mrs. Helen Daniel).
She leaves to cherish her memory to: her loving, younger sister—Mrs. Hazel Perkins, who she lovingly called her “Baby Sister,” her sisters-in-law (Mrs. Lemaris Garner and Mrs. Dolly Garner), her daughters-in-law (Terrie, Joe Sally, and Joan), who Mary loved as her own, her son-in-law—Donald, who she lovingly called “son” for forty-two years, her eldest niece—Mrs. Neyoma Beverly, who she loved like a sister, her special friends (Mrs. Ruth Davis, Mother Bessie Richard, Mother Savannah Wiley, Sis. Essie Adger, Mrs. Necie Broussard, Mrs. Marsha Guillory, Mrs. Clara Alexander, Sis. Pat Moore, and Sis. Minnie Brown), her God-daughter—Ebony Green, along with her nine grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.
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