She was born on August 30, 1932 in Cordele, GA, the daughter of the late Gerald Garrard and Annie Berta Diffee.
Mary Anne attended Girls High in Atlanta, received her Bachelor's degree from Agnes Scott College as a member of the class of 1953 and much later went on to earn a Master of Education at Georgia State University. She began her teaching career in the Atlanta Public Schools before electing to stay home to raise her two children and engage in various volunteer activities such as serving as a Pink Lady at Emory University Hospital. She returned to teaching in the Dekalb County School System in the mid 1970's, retiring in 1994 from teaching the 5th grade at Rockbridge Elementary School. She then began actively pursuing her hobbies as a miniaturist and avid quilter, traveling, and enjoying more time at the log cabin she had built in Waynesville, NC. She is a long-time member of Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church where she was active in the altar guild and United Methodist Women.
She is survived by her daughter, Anne Velez and her husband, Jose; her son Frank Jernigan, Jr.; her grandchildren, Trey Velez and Ali Velez; seven nieces and nephews and their families; and a close circle of friends who claimed her as "family" and vice versa.
Visitation and viewing will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 pm on Monday, November 28, 2022 at H.M.
Patterson & Son-Oglethorpe Hill Chapel. Interment will take place at 1:00 pm the following day, November 29, 2022, at Sunnyside Cemetery in Cordele, GA. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at Glenn Memorial Church Little Chapel located at 1660 N Decatur Rd, Atlanta, GA 30307.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, Agnes Scott College, or the Emory University Center for Ethics.
