* Mary Josephine Rauworth; Actress, Writer

Thousand Oaks resident Mary Josephine Rauworth died at home Sunday after a lengthy illness. She was 87.

Rauworth was born March 19, 1911, in Hot Springs, Ark. She was raised in Texas and studied journalism at Southern Methodist University.

Rauworth moved to Los Angeles in the 1930s and acted in several small theater productions. She enjoyed performing in dramas, especially plays written by Tennessee Williams, said Rauworth’s daughter, Carol Becker.

In the mid-1950s, Rauworth moved to New York with her family and continued to act in small productions. During this time, she also wrote plays, one of which, “Vacancy,” was optioned for a Broadway production, Becker said.

The play was the story of the relationship between a mother and her adult daughter.

Rauworth also wrote magazine articles and lived for a short time in London, Becker said.

In 1962, Rauworth returned to the Los Angeles area and began acting with an ensemble group. She also did a television commercial in the late 1970s or early 1980s for Glendale Savings Bank, her daughter said.

In 1984, at the age of 73, Rauworth earned a black belt in karate.

Because of the Northridge earthquake in January 1994, her daughter said, Rauworth moved to Thousand Oaks, where she lived with her longtime companion, Hal Kornell.

In addition to Becker, who lives in Torrance, and Kornell, who lives at the couple’s home in Thousand Oaks, Rauworth is survived by four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Services are private.

Aabbey Memorial Services in Thousand Oaks is handling the arrangements.