MARY "Molly" LUNSFORD

1931 - 2021

Mary Elizabeth Lunsford  
Molly Lunsford died in Nashville, TN on November 26, 2021. Born in St. Louis, MO, on September 7, 1931, Molly graduated from the University of Chicago in 1952 and completed a master's degree in international relations there in 1957. She worked as a budget analyst for the State of Colorado and the University of California, a community organizer and school volunteer in Berkeley, CA, in volunteer and staff positions supporting women's economic development in the Peace Corps, and as a teacher of English to speakers of other languages and the computer lab librarian at Montgomery College in Rockville, MD before retiring and moving to Tennessee in 2018. Molly brought a personal flair to her every endeavor, from ice skating, dancing, painting, and photography to the study of world peace movements and near-death experiences. She loved pets, especially cats and Irish setters; but most of all, Molly genuinely enjoyed people. She was much beloved and admired by scores of students and colleagues from around the globe for her boundless curiosity, unflappable patience, and commitment to helping others. She was predeceased by her parents, Lansing and Addie Thompson Felker, her brother, Lansing R. Felker, Jr., and her former husband, Terry F. Lunsford. Survivors include her son, John Gray Lunsford, and granddaughter, Caitlin Elizabeth Lunsford, of Nashville, TN. Service private. Memorial contributions may be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center (splcenter.org).