Mary Ehtelene McCaw

Mary Etheleen McCaw, affectionately known by one and all as Nanny, 73, of Jackson, TN entered this world on February 15th, 1952, and passed from her earthly home into her heavenly forever home on Monday, November 10th, 2025, with her family by her side fervently loving her and celebrating her as she went into the arms of Jesus.

To know Nanny was to love her. Any day or least amount of time spent with Nanny would leave you laughing. Be it something she said or did, oftentimes without even trying, Nanny would leave you in stitches. She loved watching and laughing at Madea movies on repeat. Nanny truly believed and lived out that a cheerful heart is good medicine. Throughout her life she was one of the feistiest and fiercest personalities. Every family and friend no doubt has some story of Nanny’s feisty personality which was no doubt borne out of her fierceness for she overcame numerous very hard adversities during her life. She lived for years with crippling arthritis and chronic lung disease with dignity and toughness living every day to the fullest. Prior to that she lived for 40 years as a breast cancer survivor. What was most inspiring about her life and that left an indelible impression on any and all who knew her came down to family and faith. She was the matriarch of her family, be it protecting her family like a mama bear, be it passing down recipes and how to cook a wonderful home-cooked meal, be it watching her granddaughters put on a fashion show or just loving well her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Jesus said the two greatest commandments were to love God and love people and Nanny did both. Nanny loved the Lord enjoying attending church when she could and especially singing and toe-tapping to her many favorite gospel songs. She loved others well often sacrificing her time and money to care for others before caring for herself and for years served as a personal in-home sitter for many, many years and many, many people.

Her family and friends loved treating her like and spoiling her as the Queen she was. We will all greatly miss her but take solace in all the many wonderful memories we have of her. Even more so, we celebrate that thanks to her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, she’s more alive now than she ever was when she walked this ole dusty earth, that she’s able to now rest high on that mountain, walk hand in hand with Jesus and many beloved family and friends who have gone before her and now nightly sleeps in her mansion just over the hilltop.

She is survived by her two loving daughters, Danna (Lonnie) Cobb of Jackson, TN, and Vicky (Buffy) Cook of Jackson, TN; her doting sister, Hazel (Lynn) McCoy of Hurley, MS and her brother, Eddie Wayne McCaw of Century, FL. She is also survived by nine grandchildren – Stephanie (Jason) Watkins of TN, Kimberly (David) Morein of TN, McKinley (Brent) Hatcher of Jackson, TN, Colton Cobb of Jackson, TN, Hayden Bivens of Jackson, TN, Kayla (Kristian) Cabarcas of Springfield, TN, Miranda Cook of Jonesboro, AR, Will (Kayla) Coley of Oakland, TN and Matthew Cook of Jackson, TN. Additionally, she is survived by ten great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her mother and father, Mary Anice {Ann} Odom McCaw and Joseph Herman McCaw; one sister Brenda Faye McCaw; and two brothers, Randall McCaw and Darrell Anthony McCaw.

A Celebration of Life honoring Nanny's life will be held in the Chapel of Arrington Funeral Directors on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. with Dr. Buffy Cook officiating. The family will receive friends from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.