Mary graduated from Methodist Hospital School of Nursing in Memphis, TN in 1963. She completed her residency there and worked at Lafayette General Hospital in Louisiana. She married Bennett Begnaud in 1967, and started a family in Jackson, TN. After nine years, the Begnaud family moved to Nashville, TN. Over the following years, Mary worked at many of the hospitals and care centers in Nashville including Southern Hills Hospital, Donelson Hospital, Trevecca, and McKendree Village.
Mary was an avid reader, gardener, and music blogger. On Blip.fm she was known as Midnight Reader, a nod to her love of books. As a regular library patron, Mary enjoyed hundreds of books late into the evening. She was a particular fan of Native American culture, Southern Literature, and the quick-witted stories of Fannie Flagg, David Sedaris, and Kevin Willson. Mary will be remembered for her own contagious humor and her unending love and dedication to her family.
She is predeceased by her Husband of 53 years Bennett J. Begnaud. She is survived by her daughter Jennifer Ann Rooker, her son Joseph Alexander Begnaud, by her daughter-in-law Beata Niedzialkowska, by her grandson Andrew Ryan Rooker, and granddaughter Emily Lauren Rooker. Mary was a member of the Church of the Holy Rosary.
There will be a Mass of Christian Burial at the Church of the Holy Rosary 192 Graylynn Drive, Nashville, TN 37211 on Friday September 9th at 10:00 am. Burial will be in Cearley Cemetery, Toone, TN on Friday September 9th at 2:30 pm.
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