Funeral service for Mary Louise Flowers Sandefur, 88, of Greenville will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 29, 2023, at First Presbyterian Church in Greenville. She passed away on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Delta Health-The Medical Center. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Greenwood. Arrangements are under the direction of Boone Funeral Home, Greenville.
Mary Louise Flowers Sandefur was born on July 14, 1934, in Lake Village, Arkansas to the late Thomas Fulton Flowers, Sr. and Dorothy Van Ness Flowers. At three years old, she moved from Eudora to Greenwood, Mississippi. She graduated from Greenwood High School in 1952, and from Millsaps College in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts. She married John Carroll Sandefur on August 20, 1955. Mary Lou taught school at Lenox Elementary School in Memphis, Tennessee where her husband was in medical school. After his graduation, he entered the United States Army serving at Fort Sam Houston; Friedberg, Germany; Tacoma, Washington; Surinam, Okinawa; and Fort Knox, Kentucky.
In 1967, they moved to Greenville where she was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Greenville Junior Auxiliary, Junior Greenville Garden Club, Greenville Garden Club, Kings Daughter’s and Son’s Circle, Bon Vivant Dinner Club, Wild Bunch Dinner Club, Tuesday and Wednesday bridge clubs and the Colonial Dames of America. She was on the Boards of Bessie J. Taylor Home, Washington School, garden clubs, and social clubs. Her interests included travel, tennis, golf, bridge, gardening, cooking, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.
Mary Lou was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Elsie Flowers Bridges. She is survived by her husband of sixty-eight years, John Carroll Sandefur, and their three children, John Carroll Sandefur, Jr. (Caron) of McCalla, Mark Van Ness Sandefur (Lisa) of Madison, and Missie Hendry (Scott) of Tampa, and her seven grandchildren; Rick Sandefur, John Allen Sandefur, Mark Sandefur, Jr., Chris Sandefur, Cara Sandefur, Allie Hendry, and Mollie Hendry; and her brother, Tom Flowers of Jackson.
There will be a visitation from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. on Thursday at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church of Greenville or the charity of your choice.