Mary A. Nieto

September 20, 1931 - December 8, 2020

Mary A. Nieto, 89 years old, is now with the Lord. After bravely living with Alzheimer’s for 8 years, she passed peacefully on December 8, 2020 due to heart failure brought on by COVID-19. She died in the city where she was born – Sugar Land, TX. Mary was a loving wife, mother, and sister who unselfishly gave of herself to her family and friends. Her empathy and kind sensibility created a gateway of support and love to those lives she touched. Mary was married for 60 years to Henry Nieto. He remembers exactly what she looked like the first day they met: tiny waist, wearing “glass” shoes and peddle pusher pants. They lived in Houston and Missouri City where they raised two children Rebecca and Henry. Her love of her family was built on the foundation of the depression and strong family values. Mary was born in 1931, living in the farming communities of Booth and Fulshear before settling in Rosenberg. Like other children of the depression, she picked crops. The hard work did not break Mary’s competitive spirit. At age 13 she was the unofficial fastest cotton picker in Fort Bend County – harvesting more cotton at a faster rate than grown men. She drove tractors, pitched hay and helped raise her 8 siblings. As a little one, Mary helped bottle moonshine with her grandfather, but that job came to an end when she got tipsy. She loved that story. Family financial stresses forced Mary to quit high school in 9th grade. As a young woman she launched a successful retail career - first at a Rosenberg dress shop before rounding out her career as assistant manager of a TG&Y store. She was beloved by customers and employees. A woman of deep faith – Mary is a founding member of St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Houston. Today as you enter the church, you’ll see the Nieto name on a plaque and a pew. She served as a Eucharistic Minister and was a member of the Guadalupanas. The last 40 years, Mary was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church in Missouri City. She volunteered at the church food bank and raised plants for the bazaar. Mary loved to cook – especially known for her arroz con pollo, tamales, cocido, turkey and dressing and the “pink stuff.” She won many garden awards for her beautiful flowers and spectacular holiday decor. She loved needlepoint, leaving behind beautiful works of art, and was a gifted seamstress for herself, her daughter and her daughter’s Barbies. Mary had a full and wonderful life. Alzheimer’s is a long journey of losing someone you love, but it also gives the gift of saying goodbye. Mary fought the good fight while living with Alzheimer’s. She was sweet, never complained and faced her disease with grace and with the loving support of her family. Mary is now with the Lord, reunited with her parents Frances and Elias Rodriguez, brothers Joe, Johnny and Ernie. She is survived by her husband Henry, son Henry, daughter Rebecca and son-in-law Alfredo Del Real, brothers Elias and Martin Rodriguez, sisters Frances Luna, Lupe Zamora, and Dolores Skinner, and sister-in-law Vera Barajas, Mary Nieto and Lydia Castillo, as well as hundreds of nieces and nephews and extended family. A walk-through visitation will be held at Davis Greenlawn Funeral Chapels and Cemeteries between 5 and 7pm on December 22nd. A private burial at the cemetery is December 23rd. Davis Greenlawn is located at 3900 B.F. Terry Blvd, Rosenberg, TX 77471. Ph: 281-341-8800. You are welcome to send flowers to Davis Greenlawn, Mary would have loved them so very much.