Mary Ann Harris

Mary Ann Harris was a true Texas pioneer woman of German decent born to Benjamin and Bertha Roessler on July 6, 1927 in the rural family homestead (a small cattle ranch/farm) about 6 miles from Westphalia, TX.  She passed from this earth January 16 ^th 2020 peacefully in the hospital after previously surviving cardiac surgery on December 11 ^th , 2019 at the age of 92.  As a youth, she attended “The Little School” at Westphalia, TX associated with the local Catholic Church of the Visitation and later, Lott HS in Lott, TX.  Immediately after World War II, she married John Louis Doskocil of Cyclone, TX, a US Navy veteran of the Pacific War.  Before the birth of their first child, they moved to Hillsboro, TX and subsequently to a small cotton farm near Chatt, Hill County, TX, where Mary Ann bore 3 daughters.  In 1953, the family of 6 moved to Rogers St., Arlington, TX where Mary Ann bore 4 more children.  Mary Ann was a faith-filled member of St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church in Arlington most of her life until she retired to live in Temple, TX near her birthplace, where she was a long-time member of St. Luke’s Catholic Church.  A few years ago for elderly health reasons, she relocated to North Richland Hills, TX and was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church.  Mary Ann sacrificed much to see that all of her children attended Saint Maria Goretti Catholic School for primary and intermediate education.  She was a self-sacrificing and fine moral example to her children, friends, family, and co-workers, and a very successful mother to see that her children were pillars of society.  For secondary education, her son Jim Doskocil attended Fort Worth’s Nolan Catholic HS, and the remaining siblings attended Arlington HS.  Mary Ann was preceded in death in 2002 by her first husband, John Doskocil Sr., later by her second husband, Malcolm Harris, and even later by her second son, Ronald, and second daughter Mrs. Pat (Roark) Mott.  Mary Ann is survived by a host of family including 1 brother, 5 sisters; 2 brother-in-law’s; 3 sons [Jim, John Jr., and Chris]; and 3 daughters [Katherine Allred, Margaret Aune, and Deborah Eutsler; as well as 16 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren, and a host of nieces and nephews.  In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made by contributing to the rebuilding of The Church of the Visitation, Westphalia, TX online at https://austindiocese.org/church-of-the-visitation-fund or by mailing a check to: Church of the Visitation, 144 CR 3000, Lott, TX 76656 in Mary Ann’s name. Rosary and Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 28, 2020, in Westphalia Parish Hall.