Mary Bolen Deese

She is survived by her two daughters, Julie Swanson and Mary Patricia Todd; two grandchildren; her grandson, Zack Swanson and her granddaughter, Kayla McKinnis; two great grandchildren, Parris and London. She is preceded in death by her husband, John Thomas Deese.

Mary was born on November 6, 1949 and raised in Danville VA. In high school, she met and fell in love with her one true love, John Thomas "Tommy" Deese. They were married right out of high school and so their life began. Mary and Tommy relocated to North Carolina and to this union, their two daughters were born.

While in North Carolina, Mary worked as an administrative assistant for the Thompson Theater at NC State and there is where her love for theater began. She auditioned for roles in plays and even landed some leading roles. Her boss, who was a really good friend, helped define Mary's passion for theater and arts, and she was reintroduced to her new life as an actress.

Mary and Tommy thereafter relocated to Rome, GA for Tommy's work but her passions continued to flourish. She loved writing, reading and was a very big history buff with a very extensive vocabulary. She wrote many articles for newspapers and wrote papers for Julie's school that helped win several awards.

She was a devoted family woman and mother. She helped care for her mother and her husband until their passing and continued to remain humble through it all.

Later, Mary eventually made the decision to move across the United States to South Dakota to help her daughter Julie with her life journey and they grew closer and closer everyday. Mary became bosom buddies with Julie's pet dog, Ginger and although she and Ginger had a love/hate relationship, they were companions.

Mary suffered a major stroke in June 2022 which led to many emergency surgeries but she showed her strength in many ways under the care and love of her daughter, Julie.

She is loved and will be dearly missed by her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, her dear relatives and friends.

A visitation for Mary will be held Saturday, March 25, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Floral Hills Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 3150 Lawrenceville Highway, Tucker, GA 30084. A funeral service will occur at 3:00 PM with burial to immediately follow at Floral Hills Memory Gardens, 3000 Lawrenceville Highway, Tucker, GA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.floralhillsfuneral.com for the family.