Mary Barnes Corkren

Mary Barnes Corkren

Memphis, TN

Mary Barnes Corkren was born February 11, 1930 in Meridian, Mississippi and was adopted at 6 weeks old by Vera and Frank Barnes of Greenville, Mississippi. Mary was called to her Heavenly Home with her loved ones on March 30, 2019 at age 89.

Mary finished Greeenville High School in 1948 and enjoyed class reunions through the years. All of her friends got bikes in the third and fourth grades. She wanted one so badly she finally got a bike in the sixth grade. Her dad was afraid she would get killed on a bike, so Santa finally got her one. The neighbor said she rode that bike around the block on Christmas Day 100 times. Mary left for college at Mississippi State College for Women, now called Mississippi University for Women. She was home sick for months and wrote a postcard every night and a letter every weekend to her parents. Mary was active on campus while at The W. in the Commerce Club, Wesley Players, Bible Club, Civic League, Spectator Newspaper staff, International Relations Club, Parliamentary Certificate Club, and Student Govt member.

Mary attended The Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Mississippi while in college and sang in the choir. That is where she met her future husband, James Paul "Bud" Corkren. The day they met in church he came by her house in his brand new blue Chevrolet and they drove around town. Mary graduated college in June 1952. She started work as a social studies teacher in Aug 1952 at Jonestown Consolidated H.S. The following February, Jim gave her a ring and they were married June 7, 1953 at the Methodist Church in Greenville. Another reception was held at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Columbus , Mississippi later that afternoon, were Jim served as a deacon of the church. Jim graduated from Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi . Then they went off to New York City for the honeymoon. They moved to Memphis in 1953 and Mary was a teacher at Frayser Elementary School 1953-54.

She is survived by her daughter, Cindy Corkren Blum; son, Frank Barnes Corkren (Sri Suta); grandchildren, Paul Blum and Michael Blum (Kerilyn); and great-grandson, Carter Blum. She was preceded in death by her husband, James P. Corkren in 1989; son, Jim Corkren, Jr. in 2011; and son-in-law (Cindy), Charles Blum in 2011.

Mary and her family moved to Germantown in 1968. Jim started his own Manufactures' Representative Sales Agency business in the early 1960's. Mary was in the Poplar Estates Garden Club for 15 years where she served as President. She was a member of the Bethel Grove Order of The Eastern Star and her husband was a Mason. She was The World Community Chairman with the United Church Women of Memphis, a Pink Lady at Saint Francis Hospital and a volunteer at The Church Health Center. A few years before her husband died they went on a trip around the world for a six weeks and Mom said she just wanted to get home and sleep in her own bed.

The family will receive friends on Tuesday, April 2 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and funeral services celebrating her life will be held at 2:30 p.m., all at Memorial Park Funeral Home. Interment will be at Memorial Park Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be directed to Covenant United Methodist Church 3795 Walnut Grove Road, Cordova, Tennessee 38018