Mary Lee Willard

1949 - 2016

Mary Lee Hardin Willard was born Nov. 9, 1949, to R.H. ""Red"" Hardin and Mary Louise Goss Hardin. Mary Lee and her sister, Elisabeth, were reared by their single mother with the help of her parents, J.C. and Sarah Lee Goss, who were greatly loved and revered by their grandchildren.
Mary Lee's grandparents and parents all preceded her in death.
She is survived by her younger sister, Elisabeth Hardin, Gadsden; as well as her aunt, Reba Hardin, Centre; cousins, Steve Stewart of Birmingham, the Rev. Gary Hardin (Linda), Rebecca Wynn (Charles) and Theresa McCutcheon, all of Centre.
She is also survived by her husband of 17 years, William R. (Bill) Willard; stepchildren, Michael Willard of Trussville and Shannon Mulder (Doug) of Grand Haven, Mich.; as well as stepgrandsons, Jacob and Samuel Mulder.
Survivors also include her loyal housekeeper of almost 20 years, Ana Gaskin; as well as her dedicated and faithful personal caregivers, Mrs. Laura Bell, Ms. Pat Smith, Mrs. Barbara Johnson, Ms. Vicky McGinnis, Ms. Para O'Kee, Ms. Teresa Veal, Ms. Gwyn Stovall, Ms. Earnestine Bufford and Ms. Tracie Miller. These ladies could not have provided better or more loving care for Mary Lee if she had been their own child. They also provided much needed support to the entire family of which they had become a part.
Similarly, Mary Lee considered two of her lady friends, Marsue Lancaster and Marcee Minogue, to be ""her family"" as well.
Like a sparkling diamond, Mary Lee was a woman of many brilliant facets. To many in her church, she was a devoted, supportive Methodist, providing leadership and support to numerous projects. To others in the grocery business, she was a formidable but honorable and respected competitor as well as a visionary leader of their statewide association. To her employees, she was a demanding and determined yet fair, loyal and generous mentor and boss. She referred to her store managers as ""her children.""
At times, she became the public face of various charitable and business organizations, including: The Alabama Grocers Association, Piggy Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. Inc., Gadsden Industrial Development Board, Gadsden-Etowah YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs of Etowah County, The Etowah County Chapter of The American Red Cross, Candler School of Theology Committee of 100, and, of course, the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts, named for her mother.
On numerous occasions, she served these and other organizations both as a board member and in various positions of leadership, including the office of president in many if not most.
Mary Lee left this life to meet her Lord and Savior on Friday, April 1, 2016, in Broward County, Fla. She departed life much as she lived it. She was striving bravely with great determination and faith to improve her situation and quality of life. After fighting courageously for years against COPD (brought on by a lifetime of smoking cigarettes) and a variety of resulting aliments and conditions, she had become homebound. Following many months of increasing pain, discomfort and decreasing quality of life, Mary Lee decided to undertake what was known to be a high risk but potentially life-changing surgical procedure. The initial procedure failed and had to be followed up by yet another from which she was unable to recover. She spent 38 days in intensive care; then died peacefully and comfortably in the presence of her husband Bill, her sister Elisabeth and Elisabeth's dear friend, Kathy Gross, and two of her loyal and dedicated caregivers, Laura Bell and Pat Smith.
The family extends thanks to Dr. John Wilborn and Dr. H.B. Thompson, with their respective staff members; Dr. Stephen Kowalski; Mr. William Lester and Mrs. Terra Rickles and the nurses, therapists and staff of Pro Health Home Services; Dr. Bruce Head, Dr. Arianna Bennett-Venner and the nurses and staff of Gadsden Regional Medical Center; and also the doctors, nurses and staff of Cleveland Clinic-Florida, for their dedicated care and concern.
Mary Lee's life will be celebrated in a memorial service in the church she loved, First United Methodist Church of Gadsden, on Sunday, May 1, 2016. The family will receive friends at 2 p.m. and the formal service will commence at 3 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the First United Methodist Church of Gadsden, the Candler School of Theology of Emory University, or the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts.
""They are not dead who live in lives they leave behind …
In those whom they have blessed, they live again.""
Maya Angelou