Mary Lee Roberts

Mary Lee Roberts, 91, died Monday, September 21, 2009 at her home in Jackson. Visitation will be 5-7pm Wednesday, September 23, 2009 at Chancellor Funeral Home in Byram. Funeral service will be 10am Thursday, September 24, 2009 in the funeral home chapel. Graveside services will be 10am Saturday, September 26, 2009 at Ekron Baptist Church Cemetery in Ekron, KY.\ \ Mary Lee Roberts was born May 28, 1918 in Butler, Kentucky. She lived her early years in Bellevue, KY and Butler Kentucky. She graduated from Butler High School in 1936. She attended college at Western Kentucky Teachers College at Bowling Green, Peabody College, Tennessee and Cumberland University, Tennessee where she graduated in 1943. She completed her masters degree in Education at M.C.\ \ She began her teaching career in Meade County Kentucky where she taught eight grades in a one room school. She taught at Beechland and at Hill Grove. \ \ In 1937 she married Robert Clinton Roberts and during World War II she moved several times in order to be near where he was stationed in the Coast Guard. Job titles during this time included teacher at Orange St. School and included assistant dietician at the Florida Deaf Blind School in St. Augustine Florida, engineering draftsman for Templetone in the New London Conn., and cartographer at TVA in Chattanooga, TN.\ \ In 1946 she moved to Decatur, MS where her husband had taken a teaching position at East Central Jr. College. There she was active in activities at the Decatur United Methodist Church and ECJC. She taught a short time at Union, MS.\ \ Mary Lee moved to Jackson in 1959. She taught the 4th grade at Baker Elementary School for 10 ½ years. She was Curator of Education for the Museum of Natural Science in 1970-1972. She then returned to teaching in the Jackson Public School system where she taught gifted classes at McCloud, Baker and Green Elementary Schools. She retired in 1978.\ \ She was a long time member of Leavell Woods United Methodist Church where she served as board member, bible school teacher, Wesleyan service guild president and Sunday School teacher. She was involved in a number of organizations including the American Business Womans Association, the DAR, the Homemaker club, the Mumbling Mums the Jackson Audubon Society and the Exchange Club.\ \ Mary Lee Roberts loved children and she loved to teach. She felt called to teach at an early age and believed it was the most important vocation. She took a special interest in each of her students. For years when she taught the 4th grade at Baker, she visited in the home of each of her students. She took a keen interest in the accomplishments of her students years after they left her classroom. She believed learning should be fun and tried to make it so for her students.\ \ Her family will remember her for her deep love of God and her church family, her artistic talents, her devotion to her family and her interest in nature.\ \ Mary Lee Roberts was preceded in death by her parents William Wandelohr Holmes and Ava Blanche Pelley Holmes, brothers William Webster Holmes, John Coleman Holmes and James Wanderlohr Holmes and sister Ava Wandelohr Horne. She is survived by her brother Charles Gosney Holmes, sisters Margaret Worth Brewer, and Anna Bryan Holmes of Fort Thomas KY area. She is also survived by a son Dr. Robert Holmes Roberts (wife Vikki) of Germantown TN and a daughter Dr. Anne A. Roberts (husband Dr. Glenn Herrington). She left 4 grandchildren David Roberts of Washington DC, Dan Roberts of Germantown TN, Laura Herrington Jarrett (husband Alan) of Jackson, MS and Charles Herrington of Jackson, MS.\ \ Her husband of approximately 72 years Robert Clinton Roberts died September 14, 2009.\ \