McBride, Mary Jane Williams
Passed: 1989-03-11
Age: 84
Source: Jackson Herald
Death Notice: 1989-03-15
Obituary Date:
Information: MARY MCBRIDE DIES AFTER SHORT ILLNESS - Popular JACKSON HERALD columnist and Medina resident Mary Jane McBride, 84, died Saturday morning at Jackson General Hospital following a short illness. She had been hospitalized several days and was scheduled to be released Saturday, when she suffered a massive heart attack, according to family members. Her writing career began with her first published Medina column in THE JACKSON HERALD March 22, 1974, at the urging of Herald editor Dot Nichols. Mrs. McBride had mentioned that Medina residents missed the column that had been written for a number of years by her late father-in-law, Nate McBride. She consented to try a few columns which immediately became popular with HERALD readers, even those unfamiliar with the Medina community. In November 1976, Wall Street Journal reporter Eric Morgenthaler visited her home and the newspaper office and wrote a story on Mrs. McBride's talents as a ""rural correspondent"". She received letters from across the United States following the story and continued to correspond with some of those readers until her death. Friends of the Library in Ripley also honored her following publication of the Wall Street Journal story. Mrs. McBride was born (May 28, 1904) in Jackson County, a daughter of the late James H. and Sarah Brown Williams. She was a member of the Warden Chapel United Methodist Church. Surviving are two daughters, Jo Raines of Sandyville, who writes for THE JACKSON HERALD Saver's Guide, and Jean Wilkinson of Washington WV; a brother, William (Bill) Williams of Parkersburg; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Martin McBride; a brother and two sisters. Services were Tuesday, 11 a.m., at Vail Funeral Home, Ripley, with the Rev. Paul Morrison and the Rev. Steven Wilkinson, Mrs. McBride's grandson, officiating. Burial was in Ravenswood Cemetery.