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Scottish Clan
Council of Houston
Since 1985 providing the most current information available about Scottish and other Celtic activities, primarily in the Greater Houston Area, and Texas at-large... HOME * FLOWERS OF THE FOREST * VISIT THESE "WHO's WHO" LINKS * PHOTOS * ABOUT * |
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Melvyn Douglass,
FSA Scot (Director)
- 713-871-0061 (24-hrs) 281-596-4513 (fax)
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Remarkable
is an insufficient word to describe the life of DR. FABER F.
MCMULLEN JR. MD. He came into this life on July 20, 1929 in West
University Place, Texas, and his soul went out to be with the Lord
on July 19, 2009. He lost his life in an accident while working on
his beloved farm in Navasota, Grimes County, Texas. He was one day
short of being 80 years old. He felt called to be a physician at the
age of 5, and he was determined to live a life of serving others. He
did so extraordinarily. After attending elementary, junior high, and
two years at Lamar High School, he joined the Marine Corps and
attended his last year of high school in California. In the Corps he
served as an airplane mechanic and Master Sergeant. He was honorably
discharged and he enrolled at Baylor University in Waco, Texas where
he met Roxanna Connally, who has been his wife for 57 years. He was
a straight A student and was an Alpha Chi honor graduate, wearing
the key proudly for his entire life. He moved to Houston with his
bride, and he attended Baylor Medical School. While in Med School he
had 3 children, Lela Susan McMullen Newsom (of Houston, TX,) Faber
F. McMullen III (of Navasota, TX,) and Rosemary McMullen Poe (of
Denton, TX.) He was an outstanding physician throughout his career,
first serving on staff at Hermann Hospital in Houston, then St.
Luke's, and finally Park Plaza Hospital, which he helped to develop
with friends. He was known to be a "doctor's doctor". He was a
brilliant physician, a Fellow of American College Physicians,
passing boards in Internal Medicine and Cardiology. His patients
loved him and were devoted to him beyond description. He was a
passionate student of art, history, and language. He was an
accomplished water color artist, having founded the Southwestern
Water Color Society in Houston. He studied Chinese, Farsi, Spanish,
French, German, Cherokee, Biblical Greek and Hebrew, and finally
Irish Gaelic/Gaeilge. In January of this year he learned that he was
a direct descendent of Robert the Bruce, Kenneth McAlpine (First
King of Scotland) and all of the Kings of Scotland and Ireland back
to 180 AD. He was determined to learn Gaeilge (Irish-Ulster
Dialect), the language of his ancestors, and he obtained great
proficiency. He was scheduled to visit his ancestral home in
Cornamuck, Dromore, County Tyrone, Ireland later this week, and he
planned to attend Irish language school in Donegal, Ireland next
week. His love of God was ever present in his life. His love for
Hebrew was a life-time pursuit. He attended Torah Study at Temple
Beth Israel for 20 years, and he was proud to be on the membership
roll. He spent much of his time studying both the Hebrew and
Christian Scriptures. He described himself simply as a "Believer".
He was a devoted follower of Jesus, seeking to live out the gospel
fully. His life was characterized by love, joy, peace, prudence,
temperance, justice, and fortitude. He faithfully attended St. John
the Divine Episcopal Church on Sunday nights, where he had studied
Greek under Dr. Bill Dixon. His life deeply and permanently touched
all who knew him. He lived with a passion for love and life that few
understood. He was continually grateful for the effect that teachers
and University professors had on his life. Last year, with wife
Roxanna, he gifted his retirement account to Baylor University and
he oversaw the creation and completion of the McMullen-Connally
Faculty Center at Baylor University, which also became the home for
his extensive, lifetime watercolor collection. He is survived by his
brother Roswald Knox McMullen, his wife Roxanna, daughter Lela and
husband Bob Newsom and their daughter Kelly, son Faber and wife
Sandy Ridings McMullen and their three children (Faber IV,
Katherine, and Alex), and Rosemary McMullen Poe and husband Steve
and their daughter Adriana. His life gave great glory to God. He
exuded joy in all he did. He was a mentor to many. He was a
wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. He will be so, so deeply
and sorely missed. The family will receive friends from 6:00 PM to
8:00 PM on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at Woodlawn Funeral Home.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM, Thursday, July 23, 2009
at St. John the Divine Episcopal, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., Houston,
Texas with Pastors Bill Dickson and Ben Phillips, officiating.
Interment immediately thereafter at Woodlawn Garden of Memories.