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Underwood, Margaret Ann

December 14, 1929 –
 July 30, 2016

Obituary

Margaret Ann Underwood, beloved wife, mother, Granny, and the soul of hospitality, passed away peacefully in her sleep at her home in Dallas, Texas, on July 30, 2016, at the age of 86.  Many people loved her for her intelligence, excellent sense of humor, social grace, and her ability to let you know just where she stood on a variety of issues. Margaret Ann was born on December 14, 1929 in Eastland, Texas and grew up in Austin.  She graduated from Austin High School and attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority.  She then moved to Houston, Texas, where she worked in personnel at Tennessee Gas. On June 10, 1961, she married the love of her life, James Ross Underwood, Jr., and devoted her life to supporting his career as an academic geologist and to raising their three daughters.  In their 51 years of marriage, Jim’s work took them to Baghdad, Iraq; Gainesville, Florida; Tripoli, Libya; Canyon, Texas; and to Manhattan, Kansas.  Margaret Ann embraced each move enthusiastically and made lifelong friends everywhere they lived. She thoroughly enjoyed cooking and entertaining and had a gift for making everyone feel comfortable in her home:  countless friends, generations of graduate students, many faculty colleagues, and especially children and teenagers.  She was active in the Presbyterian Church throughout her life.  She ran the church nursery, organized funeral lunches, and served as an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Canyon, Texas, and Manhattan, Kansas, where she also led a support group for military wives.  In 1998, Jim and Margaret Ann retired to Austin, Texas, where they enjoyed reconnecting with lifelong friends and made many new ones.  They were active in the LAMP program (Learning Activities for Mature Persons), and members of Covenant Presbyterian Church.  In 2011, they relocated to Plano, Texas to be closer to family.  After Jim’s death in 2012, Margaret Ann continued to delight in her family and friends, especially her eight grandchildren, ages 3 -20.  Even as her physical health became frail, her mind remained sharp and her sense of humor intact.  Margaret Ann was a lifelong Democrat, and she enjoyed spirited political discussions throughout her life. Margaret Ann Underwood is survived by her three daughters and their families:  Marion Underwood and Andrew Liles and Louisa and Sophie of Plano, Andy and Steve McDowell and Emory, Marigrace, and Eliza, also of Plano; and Beth and Bobby Patterson and Joe, Claudia, and Clara, of Minnetonka, Minnesota. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on August 8th, 2016 at Fountain View of Highland Springs, 8000 Frankford Road, Dallas, TX, 75252. In lieu of flowers, the family recommends that donations be made to the Jim and Margaret Ann Underwood Petroleum Geology Lecture Series at Kansas State University (Dept. of Geology, KSU, 108 Thompson Hall, Manhattan KS 66506-3201, JR Underwood on memo line), Manhattan Area Habitat for Humanity (http://mahfh.org/donate/), or any charity of your choice. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700

    Jean R Brown ( wife of the late Thomas E Brown)
    7 Aug 2016
    2:07pm

    Dear Marion, Andy and Beth,
    Please accept my sympathy in the death of your Mom and so sorry to learn of the death of your Dad. They were the most sincere and wonderful couple. The last time that I saw them was at their Austin home and I had since lost touch with them. They were good friends of my late husband Tom Brown. With my regards and love, Jean Brown.

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R. Driver
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"Excellent customer service, they made you feel like you were their only customer. Very helpful and explained what we should expect during the process. They basically took care of our needs during this time. They contacted DFW National Cemetery for us which made it a smooth experience. Definitely will use them again."
K. Barker
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"I was amazed how professional the team at Aria Funeral Preston Dallas Texas are. They guided me through the process and my options of their services that they offered for my mother. They are compassionate, caring, calm, good listener, efficient and did an excellent job! Thank you!"
R. Woll
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"If I could give 6 stars I would. Aria made a difficult easier to deal with by basically taking care of everything in an efficient but very empathetic manner. I can speak highly enough of Dusty Martin, who helped us with all of the planning and logistics. He was incredibly understanding and helpful."
Angel M.
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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
McGee Family
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"Wayne and Staff, thank you for taking care of the arrangements for our mom, Exter McGee and our dad, Philip McGee. You have been great to work with during such a difficult time."
Elledge Family
Elledge Family
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"On behalf of my family, I wanted you to know how much we appreciate your handling of my husband's final arrangements. Wayne Baxter assisted & guided us through the entire process with such care & compassion. Don't know what we would have done without him! Sincerely, Colleen Elledge"
The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
Paula BarnesGoogle Review
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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Important Information

  1. If death has occurred and or is imminent, please call the Aria location nearest you.

    PRESTON ROAD
    214.306.6700

    NORTHWEST HIGHWAY
    214.340.8008

    BELTLINE ROAD
    972.607.4400

  2. Click here to Download the Cremation Forms.
  3. Have the cremation authorization form notarized
  4. Fax the forms back to us at:
    • NW Highway
      214-340-8009
    • Preston Rd.
      972-526-7410
    • Belt Line Rd.
      972-573-1008
 

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