Marie Berger Cone

A graveside celebration of the life of Marie Berger Cone, 93, of Lubbock, Texas will be held at 12 noon, Wednesday, July 17, 2013, at the City of Lubbock Cemetery. Arrangements are under the care of Sanders Funeral Home. Marie was born Dec. 7, 1919 in Santa Rita, New Mexico, and graduated from Tombstone Arizona High School. Marie and her family were always proud of the hard work she began immediately following graduation. An auto accident brought Marie and her future husband, Dr. Hubert Edgar Cone, together in Silver City, New Mexico. He was immediately taken with her spitfire personality as she ordered him around in his own ER. They married Aug. 31, 1941 and spent 64 blessed years, together. Marie was deeply generous of spirit and always ready for an adventure. She had a sensitivity to the needs of those around her and would readily act to meet them. She was often baking for someone at the church, buying groceries for a neighbor, or just making it known that there was always room for one more at her table. Her adventures ranged from riding wild donkeys on the plains of New Mexico, to raising five headstrong children, to hunting with all the men in her family, to braving life in the Gila Wilderness, to learning to fly a plane. Even as a woman in her mid-forties she joined a bicycling club and rode from town to town with a bunch of youngsters. Her greatest adventure was probably daily life with her dry-humored husband, and all the family enjoyed countless hours of entertainment watching their one of a kind love. All of Marie’s children and grandchildren enjoyed a ‘soft place to land’ in her presence. She was unconditional and constant in her love and support of us all and brought perspective to difficult circumstances with her no nonsense attitude and her ability to laugh at almost anything. Marie had a truly green thumb. She loved to garden and managed to create her own oasis in the dry plains of TX. In keeping with this passion, her favorite hymn was “In the Garden.” We will miss the sound of her sincere voice as she played the piano and regaled us with this and other hymns. Marie would gather her five children, their spouses, her 15 grandchildren, and her 21 great grandchildren around on holidays and reminisce: “I was an only child, and all I ever asked God for was a big family. Look what He has given me! I am so thankful!” She will never know how lucky we felt to be that answered prayer for her. Her parents George Alexander Berger and Hedwig LaFrenz Berger and one granddaughter preceded her in death. She is survived by: four sons, Jesse and wife, Julie of Alamogordo, New Mexico, Bob and wife, Janey of Corpus Christi, Texas, Howard and Linda of Georgetown, Texas, and Terry (twin) and wife, Pam of Fortson, Georgia, a daughter, Mary (twin) and husband, Dale Lewis of Lubbock, as well as all of her children and grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be sent to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Preschool/PDO programs.

Marie Berger Cone

December 7, 1919 - July 14, 2013