Mary John Oakley's Obituary
Mary John Oakley, who turned 86 years old on January 21, died in
Nashville, Tennessee on January 30, 2024.
She was born in Hazard, Kentucky in 1938 to John and Hazel Kelly
Mayhew. Her father was a self-taught coal mining engineer for the
Blue Diamond Coal Company and Mary John had two older sisters,
Jerry Ann and Sharon. As their father's career grew, they moved from
Kentucky to Big Stone Gap, Virginia and a few years later to
Knoxville, Tennessee. Mary John attended West High School in
Knoxville where she was a majorette, then attended the University of
Tennessee where she was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority
and majored in Education. While at UT, she dated and then married
Hall Oakley, an Engineering major from Germantown, Tennessee in
1960.
After graduating from college, Hall and Mary John moved to
Germantown where they raised three sons, Johnny, Greg and David.
They joined Germantown United Methodist Church, where Mary John
served and worshipped throughout her lifetime until moving to
Franklin a few years ago to be near family. While her kids were
young, Mary John spent much of her time driving them to football,
basketball and baseball practices, breaking up fights, and helping
with school homework. She also managed active roles in community
organizations, such as the Nineteenth Century Club, the Ladies
Auxiliary for the Society of Professional Engineers and the
Germantown High School Touchdown Club. As her kids got older,
she began substitute teaching at Riverdale Elementary School and
eventually taught full time, first at Arlington Elementary School and
then at Houston High School.
At Houston High School, she became a cheerleading sponsor,
establishing and leading their competition cheerleading and dance
team to multiple awards and championships. She loved everything
about her work with the cheer squad, from the many trips she took
with them to competitions in Orlando, Florida, to watching them
perform at school events, then following “her girls” as they graduated
high school and went on to college and beyond.
Mary John graciously obliged her family with innumerable trips to the
Tennessee River and Hot Springs, Arkansas because that’s where
Hall and the boys loved to waterski. She also had a special
relationship with the dogs who were members of her household,
regardless of the many challenges they presented. For example,
Ajax, a very large Alaskan Malamute who was an escape artist, a big
talker and often ate food off the kitchen counters, nevertheless
charmed his way into her heart. In Mary John’s later years, her
family’s many dogs were some of her favorite companions. Mary
John, as one of three sisters, may have always wanted a daughter,
but she had three sons who are now old enough to more fully
appreciate how she handled all the foolishness, wrestling matches,
and energetic activities they put her through while they were growing
up!
Mary John is preceded in death by her beloved husband Hall Oakley,
parents John Mayhew and Hazel Mayhew Smith, and sisters Jerry
Ann Burnett and Sharon Phillips. She leaves behind her sons and
their families: Johnny and Kara Oakley of Vonore, Tennessee and
grandkids Carson and Carter; Greg and Michelle Oakley of Nashville
Tennessee and grandkids Hall and Ethan; and David and Tracy
Oakley of Franklin, Tennessee and grandkids Jack and Emma.
Friends and family will be welcomed for a visitation at Memorial Park
Funeral Home & Cemetery on Saturday, February 24 at 11am, with a
graveside service to follow. Donations may also be made to the Walk
to End Alzheimer’s in Mary John’s honor.
https://act.alz.org/site/TR;jsessionid=00000000.app20005a?team_id=860712&fr_id=17925&pg=team&NONCE_TOKEN=E3B4C8DDE0200FA3CB10EEA662244DA2
What’s your fondest memory of Mary?
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Share a story where Mary's kindness touched your heart.
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