July 10, 2025
Mary Olivia Waller Minton passed away on March 6, 2025 at the age of 90. To know Mary was to know a woman of both determination and grace, qualities which shone brightly from her across a remarkable life. She was born July 26, 1934 on her family’s farm near Fair Bluff, North Carolina to Alexander Ernest and Birdie Estelle Waller. Following the death of their mother in 1943, Mary and her brothers and sister were sent to live in Saint Petersburg, Florida with their aunts Mary and Jael, two remarkable women who became a formative influence in all their lives.
After her graduation from Fair Bluff High School and Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, Mary began her professional life as a teacher in Raleigh—where, as she later recounted, she taught a class of 39 6th graders for a salary of $1,800 a year. During a 46-year career in education, she was much admired for her stalwart commitment to her students, her union, and to the life-changing power of education.
During a long and happy retirement, Mary spent her days in her beloved Saint Petersburg home, where she delighted her loved ones with wonderful Southern cooking and hospitality. Though she treasured her house, she was always ready to hit the road for an adventure—whether taking in a sunset on the beautiful beaches of Florida or soaking up scenery in the mountains of Montana.
Above all, Mary’s life was defined by family: She was the apple of her father’s eye, a loving sister to Ernie, Mark, and Sara, a beloved wife to Fred, a doting mother to Lee, Peter, and Melissa, a cherished Aunt Mary, a faithful caregiver to her Aunt Mary, and the most devoted grandmother to Peter and Julia.
Mary always boasted that she hailed from the greatest state of them all—from the Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks, North Carolina had her heart. Mary will be honored with a family remembrance in her hometown of Fair Bluff, on her birthday, to celebrate her homegoing.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mary’s honor to the Powell Cemetery in Fair Bluff.
A service of Meares & Jones Funeral Service of Fair Bluff.
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