Resident Spotlight
If you’ve spent any time at The Harbor at Hickory Hill, you’ve probably seen Mary Ann’s energetic stride as she walks laps around the building, always ready with a kind word or a helping hand for a friend. Her story is full of adventure, resilience, and the sort of small-town memories that stay with you for a lifetime.
Mary Ann grew up in Pulaski, Tennessee, just across the street from her lifelong best friend, Joleen. Their families used to say they’d been friends “since they were old enough to look across the street,” and the two girls filled their days with outdoor fun—hula hooping, jumping rope, playing gossip, eating wild onions, and most memorably, flying June bugs. “We’d catch a June bug and tie a string to his back leg,” Mary Ann recalls. “We’d hold the bug in one hand and the string in the other and let him fly around—just like we were flying airplanes! It was a whole day’s worth of fun and didn’t cost a penny. The bugs were never harmed, and we’d set them free at the end of the day.”
Their friendship became legendary in the neighborhood, so close that when Mary Ann’s parents moved to Alabama for her father’s new job, she and her grandmother Mamie stayed behind until the end of the school year. When it was finally time to join the rest of the family, Joleen and all their friends followed them to the state line, honking and waving goodbye. It was a send-off Mary Ann would never forget.
Arriving in Alabama brought a new chapter—and a bit of serendipity. When Mary Ann and her grandmother stepped off the bus, her cousin was there to pick them up, along with her boyfriend and a friend of his. As Mary Ann has joked many times since, “the first person I met when I stepped off the bus to Alabama, I fell in love with and married—a few years later, of course.”
Mary Ann’s talents shone both on and off the basketball court. In Tennessee, where girls’ basketball was a big deal, she’d been an average player. But when she moved to Alabama, where girls’ basketball hadn’t really caught on yet, she quickly became the star of the team, even earning her photo in the Birmingham News for her skills.
Always active and engaged, Mary Ann served as president of Pulaski’s Sub-Debs—a social and service club for young women—lifeguarded at the local pool, and developed her talents as an artist. Over the years, she worked as a bookkeeper for a trucking company and as a library aide, all while nurturing a lifelong love for gardening and eventually becoming a master gardener.
Her life held challenges, too—Mary Ann is a cancer survivor, and she weathered the profound loss of Joleen, her childhood friend. Even after Joleen’s tragic death, Mary Ann remained strong, supporting the investigation and honoring her friend’s memory. Their bond was one of contrasts and complements, with Joleen the free spirit and Mary Ann more prim and proper, but their friendship endured every season.
Mary Ann is a devoted mother to a son and daughter, and especially enjoys attending church and community events with her daughter. She has always opened her heart to others, often taking new friends under her wing here at The Harbor, just as she did for so many throughout her life. Her love for animals shines through stories of her beloved dog, Honey.
These days, Mary Ann’s joy is found in daily walks, time spent outdoors, and the simple pleasure of a well-tended plant. She is quick to join in activities, share a laugh, or lend encouragement to those around her. When the leaves start to turn and the air grows crisp, she’s reminded of happy days in Tennessee and Alabama, watching the changing colors and feeling grateful for each new season.
Spend a moment with Mary Ann, and you’ll discover a woman whose life is as rich and varied as the gardens she’s grown—a story rooted in friendship, family, and an endless zest for living.
