Alice "Allyne" McGilvra

Alice “Allyne” McGilvra passed away on March 5, 2026. Born on October 15, 1931, in Allison, Alabama, she was the daughter of the late William Wheaton and Mary Alice Hayes King. The third of four daughters, she was raised in a blended family and experienced the early loss of her father to pneumonia in 1937. Following his death, the family moved to Eutaw, Alabama, where she cherished simple childhood joys such as walking the railroad tracks, playing in the river, and attending the local theater.

In 1950, a customer at the café where she worked suggested she meet Walter McGilvra, a pipeline foreman from Texas. Though his work soon took him away, he later found her in Columbus, Ohio, proposed, and they married on February 24, 1952, in Poplarville, Mississippi. As the wife of a pipeliner, Allyne became skilled at settling into new places with each move. In 1959, the couple purchased land in Winedale, Texas, to fulfill Walter’s dream of owning a dairy farm. There, she took on the many roles of farm life with characteristic determination and grace. They moved to La Grange in 2002 as Walter’s health declined. He passed away later that year at the age of 88 after 50 years of marriage. Allyne was lovingly cared for by her daughter Kim and son-in-law Dean for the remainder of her life.

Baptized alongside her daughters on October 29, 1961, at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine, Texas, Allyne remained a faithful member of the congregation. She was active in the church and the Mothers’ Club during her daughters’ school years. Known for her generous heart, she never met a stranger and was always ready to help friends and neighbors. She described herself as a “people person” who loved reading history, watching movies, traveling with favorite tour companies, and spending Sundays attending church followed by lunch in Brenham and a matinee.

Allyne is survived by her daughters, Brenda Kay Mulkey (Douglas) of Seguin and Kim Niesner (Dean) of La Grange; granddaughter Autumn Denise Mulkey Kull of Tennessee; grandson John Mulkey of New Braunfels; great-grandchildren Heather, Sharla, and Maigen and their families; sister Dora King Moring Grafton of Eufaula, Alabama; nephews Terry Tullos and Tim (Letha) Tullos of Lufkin, Texas; and many other loving nieces, nephews, family members, and dear friends. She was preceded in death by her husband Walter, parents, several siblings, and granddaughter Veronique Mulkey Kalantarian.