Mary Gestes

Mary Gestes, 91, of Wayside, passed away on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. Memorial services will be at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at Wayside Community Church with Byron Williamson officiating. Mary was born on May 8, 1934 in Lakeview, TX to Frank and Jewel (Kennedy) Polasek. She was raised on a farm and worked in the fields. She was a graduate of Lorenzo High School and married W.O. Gestes, Jr. on May 24, 1954 in Lorenzo. They were married for 53 years before he preceded her in death on September 11, 2007. Mary and W.O. lived in Plainview where she worked as a bank teller at Hale County State Bank. In 1996, they moved to Wayside where she was a faithful member of Wayside Community Church for many years. In her later years, Mary traveled with her two sisters and spent treasured time with them, most often keeping each other out of trouble. She was an avid outdoorsman and loved camping, hiking, riding motorcycles, and arrowhead hunting. Her favorite pastimes were playing the slot machines at the casinos and enjoying her favorite son-in-law's 'best ever ribs.' Her husband and her family were of utmost importance to Mary, and her family lovingly recalls 'wherever you saw Mama, you saw Daddy.' They will forever miss her free spirit, her spunk and her wonderful sense of humor. Mary is also preceded in death by five brothers, Ozie, Paul, Charles, Houston, and Bill Polasek. Survivors include two daughters, Cindy Gestes and Terry Scroggins and husband, Kent; two grandchildren, Will Scroggins and wife, Alyssa, and Katie Pate; seven great grandchildren, Halie Fox and husband, Charles, Korbin Scroggins, Kacey Pate, Seth, Brecken, and Kennedy Scroggins, and Augustus (Goose) Pate; two sisters, Barbara Bell and Alice Barron and husband, Charles; and a host of nieces, nephews, and extended family. The family suggests memorials be to BSA Hospice of the Southwest, 5211 SW 9th Avenue, Suite 100, Amarillo, TX 79106 or to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 7023, Merrifield, VA 22116.