Mary Frances Wells

Mary Frances Manning Wells went into the loving arms of her Savior on Sunday, April 23, 2023 at her home with her family and under hospice care. She was preceded in death by her husband, Millard “Dude” Wells; one son, Charlie Wells; one infant daughter, Sarah Jean Wells; a granddaughter, Nicole Wells; 2 brothers, James Manning and Robert “Bobby” Manning; and 3 sisters, Inez Turner, Anne Chewning, and Dot Shurlknight.

She is survived by two daughters, Linda Stewart (Jay) and Tibby O’Quinn (Howard) and daughter-in-law, Paula Wells (Charlie) all of Brunswick, Georgia.

She will be greatly missed by her 9 grandchildren Ryan Burchett, Chris Wells, Austen Wells, Holly (O’Quinn) Deignan, Joy O’Quinn, Jennifer Flory, Jayson Stewart, Jeffrey Stewart, and Brad O’Quinn; 18 great grandchildren; 1 great great grandchild; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Mary’s story began in 1930 when God blessed James and Genie Manning with the birth of their sixth child in Charleston, South Carolina. With the unexpected death of her father only six months after her birth and the impact the Great Depression continued to have on the nation, Genie was unable to provide for her children and her newborn infant. Mary was sent to her Aunt Teal’s home shortly thereafter and her brothers and sisters were placed in the Charleston Orphan House. Mary was 2 years old before she could rejoin her siblings at the orphanage home. The Charleston Orphan House was the first municipal orphanage in the United States. It was there where Mary was first taught about Jesus Christ and attended Sunday School and church regularly with all of the orphanage children. Life through her teen years consisted mostly of church, school, and sports. Mary loved softball and the four sisters were often kidded for being on the same softball team. While the sisters were still at the orphanage house, her brothers James and Bobby both enlisted in the Navy to support the war effort and were stationed together at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked on December 7, 1941.

At 12 years old, Mary left the orphanage home and returned to her mother’s home in downtown Charleston, S.C. She remained faithful in her church attendance even though it required her walking the nine block distance from her home. It was there she accepted Christ’s free gift of salvation.

In 1947, Mary met and married her husband nicknamed “Dude” Wells. They moved to Glennville, Georgia and Mary began attending First Freewill Baptist Church where she taught the five and six year old Sunday School class. Mary’s strong Christian faith, biblical knowledge, and love for children were the perfect recipe to make her a great teacher. While in Glennville, Mary and Dude were blessed with three children: Linda, Tibby, and Charlie. She has been called the “Matriarch” of the Wells family and helped raise several of her nieces and nephews. If anyone was ever in need whether it be family or friends, Mary always gave of her time and love to help them.

The family relocated to Brunswick, Georgia in 1961 and shortly thereafter started the Wells Roofing Company. Mary worked as the company’s secretary and bookkeeper for over 45 years. The family began attending Glyndale Baptist Church where Mary taught the fifth grade girls’ Sunday School class for 14 years. In 1978, Mary became a founding member of Northside Baptist Church where she remains a member to this day. While at Northside, she served as a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade Sunday School teacher. All in all Mary faithfully served as a Sunday School teacher for over 55 years and it is no surprise that her favorite Bible verse is Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” Another favorite Bible passage was Psalms 23 and many of her Sunday School children left her class with a framed copy of it. Mary also served as the Director of Vacation Bible School for 14 years. It was her joy seeing so many children accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Mary embraced all that life had to offer and lived life to the fullest, spending as much time with family as possible in spite of her many physical difficulties. She never missed an opportunity to attend a grandchild’s school play, band and dance recitals, awards ceremonies, high school and college graduations, along with soccer, baseball, and softball games. Mary thoroughly enjoyed cooking for family and many, many gatherings over the years. She started sewing at the age of 21 and continued her sewing hobby into her mid 80s. She was an avid Atlanta Braves fan and took every opportunity possible to attend games in Atlanta. Another true pleasure Mary had came from taking photographs of her family, church events, while vacationing, and just about everything else. She has hundreds if not thousands of photographs in albums. Her husband once said, “If I had a nickel for every photograph Mary takes, I would never have to work again”. Mary delighted in vacationing with family and traveled all over the country, but her trip to the Holy Land was her most treasured adventure.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 26, 2023 from 10:30 until noon at Northside Baptist Church with the funeral service beginning at noon with Rev. Stanley Luke and Rev. Jim Crandall officiating. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. Active pallbearers will be Chance Browning, Gregory Burchett, Ryan Burchett, Brad O'Quinn, Jayson Stewart, Jeffrey Stewart, Austen Wells, Chris Wells and Robby Wells.

The family would like to give a very special thanks to her caregivers Kim Burrell, Dot Jackson, and Geraldine Hall for their loving and devoted care give to their mother over the last several years. As well as all of the GHC hospice team and volunteers and especially her nurse, Natasha Kinnear.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of The Golden Isles on Glynco Parkway, Brunswick, GA.

Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home in entrusted with all arrangements.

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