Mary Ann Baxter, 86, died Friday, September 24, 2021, at her home in Martin, TN.
Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. (today) Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at East Side Cemetery, with Cathy Barnett officiating. Friends may assemble at the cemetery at 9:45 a.m.
Mrs. Baxter was a member of Oak Hill United Methodist Church; she was retired from GTE Directories; she was a 1953 graduate of Martin High School; and was a graduate of University of Tennessee, Martin.
After years of working in Florida and Texas, she returned to Martin where she became an active community member. She was secretary to the Library Board for 10 years, secretary and treasurer for the Weakley County Genealogical Society, and secretary and photographer for the Martin Kiwanis. She served as a member of the Weakley County Archives Project indexing books and served on the Cemetery Board for Oak Hill Methodist Church. She was a long-time member of the Sky Hawk organization, a UTM Alumnus attending events and participating in Candle Ceremonies to welcome freshmen in the fall. She worked on a team collecting family history information for the book: Weakley County Tennessee History and Families 1823 to 1998. She co-authored a book with Hobart Beale about the Martin Panthers that can be found at the UTM Library, the Weldon County Library and the News Museum in Washington DC.
Mrs. Baxter was preceded in death by husband, John Baxter, and her parents Carl and Lucille Doran Davis.
Mrs. Baxter is survived by a special friend, Mr. Bruce McDaniel, Martin, Tennessee; she is survived by her daughters, Cindy (Ward) Grafton, Longwood, Florida, Bonnie Baxter, Martin, Tennessee, and Cathy (Lawrence Rubey) Baxter, Bethesda, Maryland; survived by a son, John Baxter, Jr., Martin, Tennessee. She has 13 grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild.
Family will serve as pallbearers. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorials be made to the Martin Public Library Foundation designated for the Genealogy Room, 410 South Lindell St., Martin, TN 38237.
Paid Obituary: Murphy Funeral Home