Margaret Schattel Di Iorio, RN, was born on August 31, 1920 in East Bernard, Texas to William and Caroline Morris Schattel. Her parents, Texas pioneers, moved to Frio County, Texas and founded a town that still bears the family name, Schattel, Texas. Margaret was one of thirteen children including eight daughters, one of whom became a nun and the other seven became nurses. In 1937, Margaret graduated from West High School in West, Texas. She graduated from Providence Nursing School, in Waco, during the middle of World War II and immediately joined the war effort enlisting in the U.S. Navy. A Lieutenant, she served in the military hospitals located in San Diego and Hawaii. After the war, Margaret met Jim in Katy at the Humble Oil Refinery plant where Jim worked. While visiting a friend at the plant, an ice storm hit and stranded her at the plant for three days. Jim and Margaret married on April 17, 1948 in Wharton, Texas. They had three children: Jane, Pat, and Peggy. Margaret and Jim were longtime residents of Katy and were founding members of St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, in Katy. She joined the Katy V.F.W. Post 9182 in the 1970's when women were first allowed to join the post, making her one of the first women invited to join. She was the Nursing Administrator at Brookshire Arms Nursing Home, in Brookshire, for 17 years. She had also been a Girl Scout Troop Leader for 12 years in Katy during the 1960's. Margaret Di Iorio was a strong willed woman who loved her family, her church, and her country. An early liberated woman, she was a working mom (she really never liked doing housework). You always knew where you stood with Margaret. She was an avid reader and loved discussing politics, as long as you were a democrat. She was a strong proponent of education and assisted many youth in going to nursing school and other medical training. She encouraged the students to be the best they could be and "woe to those who don't use the mind that God gave them." Margaret Schattel Di Iorio passed away at her home in Katy on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 at the age of 84 years. She is survived by her son Dr. Pat Di Iorio and wife Beth; grandchildren, Lauren Fenhaus and husband Joshua, Louis Landry, Rick Landry and wife Christie, and Nicholas Di Iorio; three sisters; as well as other loving family members. Preceded in death by her husband, Jim Di Iorio; and two daughters, Jane Di Iorio and Peggy Di Iorio. A memorial mass will be celebrated at 3:00 p.m. Sunday at the St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, in Katy, with Rev. John Kha Tran and her nephew Rev. Tim Bucek, celebrants. Margaret requested her body be willed to Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Margaret was always active in her church and truly loved cooking and feeding those who were in need. She and Jim handed out many bags of peanut and pecan brittle. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Schmidt Funeral Home in Katy. Houston Chronicle, Houston, Texas, May 13, 2005