Mauree Hickerson Hughes

Mauree Meeks Hickerson Hughes of Houston passed away suddenly on January 26, 2025 of an apparent heart attack. Mauree was born April 12, 1931, in Sewanee, Tennessee to Charles F. Hickerson of Winchester, TN and Elizabeth H. Pugh of Baton Rouge, LA. She is preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Charles F. Hickerson Jr. and by her husband James Leo (Jim) of 67 years of marriage. She is survived by her four children, Chris (Julee) Hughes, Elizabeth Jordan (Reed, d.), Anne (David) Glover, and Catherine (Johnny) Byrd; a dozen grandchildren; Samantha Hughes Martinek, Zachry Hughes, Kelsey Hughes Maner, Rebecca Hughes Courtney, Melissa Jordan Farber, Jennifer Jordan, Amy Jordan, Thomas Glover, Grace Glover Rollinger, Charlie Byrd, Matt Byrd and Ryan Byrd. She was blessed with 20 great-grandchildren with more on the way. Mauree grew up in Winchester, TN and graduated from Sacred Heart Academy High School. She graduated from Louisiana State University, majoring in English and Journalism and minoring in music. She was a proud member of Kappa Delta Sorority. Mauree moved to Houston following graduation to work in journalism. It was in Houston that she met her future husband, Jim, who liked to say he was completely bowled over by her beauty from across the room at a party. The deal was cinched when he discovered that she was also Catholic, from a divorced family, and not a native Houstonian. They married in 1956 and immediately started their large family. She was a typical, devoted 1950s housewife with a passel of kids, putting a nutritious meal on the table every night, instilling Southern manners, proper grammar, spotless housework and the miracle of home economics into us children. Many early memories are of the four of us cavorting in the parked car while she did the grocery shopping at three different stores depending on the coupons she had meticulously clipped that week. And who doesn’t remember licking S & H Green stamps and redeeming the booklets at their outlet? Every Sunday the family attended morning Mass, after which she spent the day producing a wonderful meal of roast-and-rice-and-gravy which we ate at the formal dining room table. It was here that the grammar and table manners were sharply honed, and after which dishwashing skills were fine-tuned. Mysteriously, she never taught us to cook meals, barring us from the kitchen so she could concentrate. Baking, however, was highly encouraged after dinner, as long as we cleaned up. Mauree enjoyed sewing for the house, the kids and herself, spending many hours teaching her girls to shop for patterns, fabric and notions, read and cut patterns, and use the sewing machine. She also loved bridge parties, reading and going to Galveston beach. It’s possible these beach trips were finagled to help our hard-working father bond with us over not-drowning while she happily sat under the umbrella and read. He never did like the beach. When the children were safely ensconced at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic school, Mauree went back to school, earning her Master’s Degree in Education at the University of St. Thomas. She had an early career teaching English and Journalism at Austin High School and Robert E Lee High School, which she didn’t love. Soon enough, she found her passion in residential real estate and began a 30-year career as a real estate agent, first with John Daugherty and later with Martha Turner. She loved the homes, the exciting people she worked with, and getting dressed up and doing something different every day. Mauree was a faithful Catholic attending Mass regularly and participating in two iconic Catholic women’s organizations; the Charity Guild of Catholic Women for 45 years and The Newman Circle benefitting the University of St. Thomas for 18 years. Her many friends from LSU, real estate, Charity Guild, the old neighborhood and most recently at Eagles Trace all say that she was a beautiful, elegant Southern lady with a great sense of humor, who would greet everyone with a smile and warm wishes. But most of all, Mauree loved her huge ever-growing family and the traditions that remain after more than 68 years: Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, new baby homecomings, baptisms, birthdays, sacraments, graduations and weddings, and the cycle continues into the fourth generation. We are all so grateful that she insisted on observing these occasions and that she cherished every one. Services will be held Monday February 3, 2025, starting with visitation at 12:30 PM, Rosary at 1:10 PM, and Mass of Christian Burial at 1:30 PM, at St. John Vianney CatholicChurch 625 Nottingham Oaks Trail Houston, TX 77079 with reception to follow in St. Jude Hall. Mauree will be laid to rest with her husband at Houston National Cemetery at a later date. In Lieu of flowers please consider a charitable donation to Charity Guild of Catholic Women at charityguildshop.org under donations.

Mauree Hickerson Hughes

April 12, 1931 - January 26, 2025