Mary Nelle Jennings

Mary Nelle Edwards Jennings lived a full life and died in Chattanooga, Tennessee on January 29, 2023, at the age of 88. She was blessed with a life full of faith, family, friends, her favorite teams and lots of dark chocolate. Mary Nelle was born to Bill and Frances Wingo Edwards in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, the oldest of three children. As a child, her family lived in several places, moving to Jefferson City, Tennessee when she was in high school. She became friends with the girl next door, Sylvia Sue Jennings, who introduced her brother, Billy. Mary Nelle and Bill married in 1953, just a month shy of her 19th birthday, and shared 58 years of married life together. Mary Nelle gave birth to all her children in Cleveland, Tennessee. The family moved to Augusta, Georgia in 1966 before settling in Atlanta. She and Bill moved to Sandy Springs in 1970, back when Perimeter Mall was being developed on a former horse farm. The Braves were her team, and she was there for Hank's 715th home run in 1974, Sid's slide to win the pennant in 1992, the opening of Turner Field in 1997, Chipper's last home game in 2012, and Freddie receiving his World Series Ring last year on June 25, the day before a fall ended her mobility. Mary Nelle's most important team was her growing family. She traveled for graduations, weddings, births, birthdays, holidays, school and athletic events, as all her children and grandchildren lived outside the State of Georgia. In addition to her family, she kept up with friends from everywhere she had lived and they were a comfort to her after her husband developed Alzheimer's and later during her almost 12 years as a widow. Mary Nelle’s faith sustained her in both good and bad times. She accepted Christ as a young girl and was always active in her church. She was a member of Wieuca Road Baptist Church in Atlanta for over 50 years. Mary Nelle was a loving daughter, a devoted wife, a doting mother, grandmother and great grandmother, a supportive big sister, a wonderful aunt and a faithful friend. Mary Nelle was preceded in death by two infant sons, Daniel and Bradley, her parents, her husband and her youngest sibling, John. Left to cherish her memory are her children, Julie (Jim) Keenan, Mike (Sandy) Jennings and Wesley (Patricia) Jennings, as well as her sister, Linda, her grandchildren, Katie (Jonathan) Rhymes, Ted (Brayden) Keenan and Frank (Kelsey) Keenan; Drew (Ann) Jennings-Grisham, Mary Carolyn (Sean) Wadley, Bonnie (Will) Vetterick and Susanna (Tyler) Fricks; Will and Portia Mary Jennings, and the first wave of great-grandchildren (Heath, Sofia, Margaret Mary, Walt, Zoe, Reg, James, Daniel, Lilly, Art, Clay and Edwin), two sister-in-laws, Sylvia and Jean, and numerous nieces and nephews. The family thanks Hearth Hospice and the staff of Life Care Center of East Ridge for their loving care over the last few months of Mary Nelle’s life. Those workers can attest to the fact that our mother was graceful, gentle and sweet spirited to her last breath. Interment will be in Jefferson City, Tennessee at a later date.