Mary Llewellyn Veal was known as a compassionate, well-respected teacher who left an indelible impression on everyone she met. During her 32-year tenure as a life sciences teacher at Herschel Jones Middle School in Dallas, she educated and inspired thousands of students.
“We had a lot of kids who needed help, and she was there for them,” said Jackie Gentry of Marietta, a close friend and retired health and physical education teacher at Herschel Jones Middle School. “She was always for the underdog.” The women met in the spring of 1976 during their first day of work at the formerly named Paulding County Junior High School. “We were friends from the first day,” Mrs. Gentry said. “We taught for 30 years together, and retired two years apart.”
Mrs. Veal died from complications of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on Aug. 21 at her Dallas residence. She was 60. A memorial service has been planned for 2 p.m. Saturday at Jeff Eberhart Funeral Home in Dallas, which is in charge of arrangements.
With unrelenting determination, Mrs. Veal battled the cancer that begins inside the bone marrow and grows from cells that would normally turn into white blood cells. “Although the odds were against her, she never gave up,” said her daughter, Lindsay Veal of Dallas. “She fought hard for a year and a half. … She wanted to prove she could fight.”
Mary Llewellyn McCord Veal was born to John McCord and Dorothy Turner McCord on March 12, 1952. She studied education at the University of Tennessee, where she received her bachelor’s degree, and at the University of West Georgia, where she received her master’s.
She shared a 28-year union with her husband, Steven Veal, who died in 2007.
Mrs. Veal retired from teaching in 2008 and fully immersed herself in her favorite hobbies, which included fishing and enjoying the outdoors.
“She loved vegetable gardening, and her favorite flower was tulips,” said Lindsay Veal, who noted that her mother was so fond of tulips that she requested them for her memorial service. “The search wasn’t easy since tulips are out of season, but we were determined to find them.”
Mrs. Gentry reaffirmed the remarkable impression her friend left on fellow faculty members and students at the school. “One day my student found an injured bird that had fallen from a tree, and the first thing he said was, ‘…We should take it to Mrs. Veal.’”
Mrs. Gentry, who is also Lindsay Veal’s godmother, said her friend was kind and caring to everyone and everything. “Our 36 years of friendship mean everything to me.”
In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Veal is survived by a brother, Ed McCord of Reliance, Tenn.
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