Obituary of Mary Ellen Robledo

Mary Ellen Donald-Robledo 1934 - 2020 (Obituary) Mary Ellen Donald-Robledo passed away and went to be with our Lord, August 3rd, 2020 in Dallas, Texas at the age of 86. Mary is survived by her son, Thomas Rouse, granddaughter, Brooklynn Rouse, both of Plano, Texas and by her brother, Thomas Donald of Las Vegas, Nevada. She is preceded in death by her husband, Joe Robledo of Los Angeles, and sisters, Lucille Frances Donald of Los Angeles, Lillian Bush of Las Vegas, Nevada and Leonon Bettencourt of Los Angeles. Mary was born “Baby Donald” (as shown on her birth certificate) on July 8, 1934 in San Antonio, Texas to parents Julia Marie Holley-Donald and Thomas Donald. After a Catholic baptism as an infant, she acquired her first and middle name. Mary attended high school at John C. Fremont High in Los Angeles. After high school, Mary moved with her mother, brother and step-father (Ed Blackwell) to Kalispell, Montana for a brief stay, but returned to Los Angeles alone at the age of 18. During this time, she came very close to going into the Catholic order called the Sisters of Loretto. In 1952, one of her first jobs was at the Paramount Theatre in downtown Los Angeles working concessions. While working there, she greatly enjoyed watching, for free, the many show business entertainers of her time. For instance, Xavier Cugat with Abbe Lane and Nat King Cole. As time passed, she would develop the skills of a PBX Operator, working for the likes of the StarDust Hotel in Las Vegas and the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) as a “Ship to Shore” operator (which required a US Government Security Clearance.) In April 1959, she was blessed with the birth of her son, Thomas. Mary often said that her son was the best thing that ever happened to her and glad she had a boy. She named her son after her brother, Thomas Donald. In September 1964, she married Joe Robledo, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy. During the 1970s, she concentrated on being a wife and mother. In 1987, she made the decision to move back to Texas and remained there, forming many life-long friends in the Plano area, while living with her only son and granddaughter. Mary never knew a stranger and was loved very dearly by everyone that met her. She was a devoted Christian, and would often say that she was ready to meet the Lord Jesus at any time. She was conservative in her thinking and dress. Mary was an accomplished singer which began at the age of 5 in Eugene-Springfield, Oregon. She sang for the Lion’s Club after her family left San Antonio in 1937. She knew approximately 100 songs at the age of 5. After moving with her family to Los Angeles in 1940, she continued singing on stage, sometimes as a torch singer, and joined the Roy Gordon Starlets at the Million Dollar Theatre. She would also sing on stage for WWII soldiers while they were on leave in the Los Angeles area. As time progressed, she developed an operatic voice under a professional “voice coach” by the name of Miss Liverett. Mary trained for (and was considered) a “coloratura soprano” and sounded just like Katheryn Grayson in the movie “Showboat.” Mary loved the opera “Porgy and Bess” and could sing many parts to that opera. The Metropolitan Opera in New York was also a favorite of hers, especially, when they had stage appearances in Los Angeles. Although she never reached the billboard notoriety of a star, she was none-the-less greatly admired for her skill by family, friends and professionals. At one point, she wrote heart-felt songs and put music to them… keeping all her lyrics and music in her memory. She continued to pursue singing well into the 1960s. For most of her life she was a devout Catholic, but in the late 1970s, started watching Christian television and began attending a Four-Square Pentecostal church in Burbank, California. After moving to Texas, she began attending Hunters-Glen Baptist Church in Plano, until arthritis affected her ability to walk and dementia began to set in. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister and aunt to all of her nieces and nephews, always willing to give of her heart and time. She loved her friends dearly and loved meeting new people. Her last big outing was to a Christmas Celebration in December 2019 at the Collin County Historical Society and Museum in McKinney, Texas where her son works. There, at the age 85, she met the many dear people that work with her son and greatly enjoyed speaking with many of them. They instantly fell in love with her. She will be greatly missed by many people. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Graveside Services are scheduled Tuesday, August 11th at 10:30 AM at Rolling Oaks Cemetery, 400 S. Freeport Pkwy, Coppell, TX 75019. 972-462-5147. Services will be conducted under a covered, open-air Pavilion in the middle of the cemetery. Burial will follow.