Surrounded by her loving family, Mrs. Mary Lawrence Durham, 53, of Signal Mountain, TN and formerly of South Pittsburg, TN peacefully departed this life to enter her heavenly home on September 30, 2011.

Mrs. Durham was a 1976 graduate of South Pittsburg High School and received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a major in Finance and Economics from Middle Tennessee State University in 1980. She married the love of her life shortly after graduation and moved to Chattanooga where she was employed by Unum Provident. While working, she served as assistant vice president of Group Underwriting before retiring after 25 years of service.

Mary was a devoted wife of 31 years and a mother for 20 years. She enjoyed spending time with her family above all things, realizing that the joy of investing in the lives of those you love is eternal. Her unwavering commitment of unconditional love to her husband and daughter was a beautiful reflection of her commitment to Christ and His outpouring of love through her to others.

An active member of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church and of Bible Study Fellowship International, Mary considered her spiritual growth and witness to others essential. As an active member of the community, she served on the Board of Directors at Girls, Inc., was past president of PTO at Chattanooga Christian School and also volunteered with Girl Scouts. She shared a special bond with her Bunco friends, her Home Builders Group from church and with many friends from the Signal Mountain Athletic Club. Mary was well loved by many and the fruits of her labors will be realized for years to come.

Activities that Mary enjoyed include cooking, gardening, sporting events, and engaging in many fun activities and adventures with family and friends. She enjoyed traveling and Sanibel Island was by far her favorite vacation spot - a bit of heaven here on earth.

Mrs. Durham is survived by her beloved husband, Randy and her precious daughter, Sarah both of Signal Mountain; parents, William A. Sr. and Carrye Lawrence; brother, William A. Jr. (Christy) Lawrence all of South Pittsburg; sister, Julie L. (Milton) Schaefer of Winchester, TN; nieces Molly Schaefer of Richmond, VA, Jodi Lawrence of South Pittsburg and Erin (Austin) Jayne of Chattanooga, TN; nephews, Pledger Schaefer of Winchester and Beau Durham of Chattanooga; and brother-in-law, Dan (Debbie) Durham of Signal Mountain.

Memorial Services will be held at Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church on Monday, October 3, 2011 at 1:00PM Eastern Time, officiated by Dr. Bill Dudley.
The family will receive friends at the church following the memorial service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, One Exchange Plaza, 55 Broadway, Suite 302, New York, NY 10006, www.damonrunyon.org.