Obituary of Jeanne Mabry Cecil

Jeanne Mabry Cecil, community activist and volunteer, passed away unexpectedly on July 3, 2017 at her son’s farm.Jeanne was born in Orlando, Florida on April 9, 1944 to Lorene Mabry and Chester Witten Cecil. During her childhood, she lived in Alexandria, Virginia until her family moved to Wiesbaden, Germany. She attended Wakefield High School in Alexandria, Virginia for a time until her family moved again. She graduated from St. Andrew’s Priory in Honolulu, Hawaii. Early in her life, she developed a love of travel and lifelong friendships from the many places her family was stationed. She enrolled in Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri until she moved with her family to Sacramento where she met and married Dr. Kenneth Doyle Funk, DVM. They settled in Houston and opened Inwood Forest Veterinary Clinic. The two greatest joys in her life were the births of her son, Geoffrey William, and her daughter, Katie. Sharing her love of antiques with her son, Jeanne opened an antique business with Geoffrey in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. She was active in the Woman’s Club of Fort Worth, especially the History Club and the Texas Library. As a sponsor of local art and music, she served on the board for the Texas Christian University Guild, College of Fine Arts and of Communications where she was President for several years. In addition to her work with the Woman’s Club, Jeanne was active on the Fort Worth Library Foundation and a member of Friends of the Library of Fort Worth. As the mother of a developmentally disabled child, Jeanne found her true passion as advocate and defender of those with special needs. Serving on the Board of the ARC of Greater Tarrant County for many years in addition to the ARC of Texas Board, she is a well-known voice and activist for disabilities rights not only in Fort Worth but throughout the State of Texas. A Founding Member and active in Community Now! she expanded her commitment to activism through the Inclusion Cinema Empowerment Project where she was involved at the production level of several films portraying people with disabilities, including the recent Love Land (2014). Her energy, enthusiasm, spontaneity and humor in everything she did was apparent in her love of animals and in her zest for life. She touched the hearts and lives of all she met. She is preceded in death by her parents, Chester and Lorene Cecil.She is survived by her son, Geoffrey, and daughter, Katie.