Mary Hefter

OUR BELOVED MOTHER passed away peacefully in May 2018 at the age of 95 at an assisted living facility near her daughter's home in Texas. Her passing marked the end of a long life dedicated to her family and many passions in Meridian, Mississippi, where she spent most of her adult life.


Mary grew up in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, and attended college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A few years later, she fell in love with the McLellan family of New Orleans, married Ernest Leigh McLellan and together raised four children. They moved to Meridian, Mississippi, and spent many happy years together. After Leigh's passing, she eventually married James Hefter enjoying their shared loves of traveling, dancing, and music until he, too, passed away. Once her children left the house, Mary worked at Meridian Regional Hospital and assisted teachers at Meridian High School.


Mary was not only a loving wife but also an extraordinary mother to her four children. She trusted and treated them with equal care yet made sure each felt important as individuals. When they were young, she shared many laughs with her sons, Bill and Mike, and supported Leigh and Cathy's love of animals. Later, she taught her children to work for what they wanted and to be self-reliant while encouraging and supporting them as they spread over the United States and beyond. She also knew when to step in during illness or uncertainty, or to use humor during less serious times. When little Leigh wanted to run away, she declared, "I'm coming, too!"


Mary modeled generosity and courage throughout her life. In the 1950s and ‘60s, she stood against current thinking by supporting school integration. She kept her family moving forward after her first husband's death, managing the challenges of putting all four children through college and caring for her aging mother. To prepare for a new career, she returned to school alongside much younger classmates at Meridian Junior College. When her second husband, Jim,

had a stroke, she taught herself to drive a wheelchair van so they could get out of the house or attend an opera in Jackson. Over the years, she gave thousands of volunteer hours to the Meridian Little Theatre, the Meridian Symphony Orchestra, Meals on Wheels, Head Start, and the Meridian Swim Team. Mary would deny she did anything exceptional, but moving mountains was part of her daily life.


Mary is remembered with love by her daughter Leigh, son Bill, his wife Yu-Mei, their daughters Leigh and Lisa, daughter Cathy, her husband William, their daughters Marie and Anne, and granddaughter Holley Van Susteren.


Mary's ashes will be interred in Magnolia Cemetery in Meridian, Mississippi, next to her beloved first husband, Ernest Leigh McLellan. In lieu of flowers, the family offers ways you may donate in her memory. We are planting trees at our property in Slidell, Louisiana as a memorial to my mother and brother. Please donate 20$ to be put toward the ReLeaf Fund established to help replace groves of trees destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Contributions are taken through Pay Pal at 214 632-8551.


You may also send donations to Mississippi Action for Progress, 1751 Morson Road, Jackson, MS 39209; Note on the check: "for Meridian Head Start Center in memory of Mary Hefter." Or donations can be made payable to and sent to The Multi-County Community Service Agency-Meals on Wheels, 2906 St. Paul Street, Meridian, MS 39302. Note on the check, "in memory of Mary Hefter."