Mary Nalls Lum

Mary Ellen (Nalls) Lum, 68, of Alexandria, VA, passed away on January 1, 2023. Mary was born on January 25, 1954 to John and Eleanor Nalls in Alexandria, VA. After Mary graduated from Thomas A. Edison high school in 1973, she began her career at MetLife Insurance Company; and in 2014, she retired after 29 years as a Legal Secretary from Nixon Peabody LLP in Washington, DC. Mary loved staying current with the news, eating out, and watching (and quoting) The Andy Griffith Show, The Golden Girls, and The Jeffersons – “Let me tell you a thing or two Missa Jeffason!!”. She loved her cat Taco (and also, actual tacos), and her “pet” giraffe, “Gweep Pea”. She didn’t care much for men with long silly putty noses or broccoli growing out of their ears – apparently she had met a few in her lifetime. She loved mashed “taters,” pancakes with lots of “butta,” and more salad dressing on her salads than actual salad. She was the life of the party – always full of life and laughs – and everyone who met her loved her. She welcomed anyone with open arms, and was loving, funny, and the silliest, craziest person you have ever met, with a heart as big and as beautiful as she was. Mary is survived by her two daughters, Christie Capps and Lisa Lum and their spouses; her two grandsons, Greyson and Everett; her mother, Eleanor Orton; and her four sisters, Carol Johnson, Robin Self, Lori Petrovitch, and Shelley Dumont and their spouses, as well as one niece and seven nephews. To honor Mary’s memory, we are holding a celebration of her life on Thursday, January 12, 2023 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Demaine Funeral Home in Springfield, VA. We invite anyone who knew and loved her (there are many!) to attend and remember her wonderful life. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Research in her memory.