Mary Sue Bryant Ford, 71, died Thursday, June 29, 2023 at McLeod’s Medical Center in Dillon, SC after a brief illness.
Funeral services were held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 2, 2023 at Dillon First Baptist Church. Visitation was held at 2:00 p.m. prior to the service. Burial followed at Lake View Cemetery in Lake View, SC directed by Cooper Funeral Home.
Mrs. Ford is the daughter of the late Mary (Watson) and Charles Ray Bryant. She was a graduate of Coker College and recently attended her 50th reunion and celebrated with her Coker classmates.
Mrs. Ford worked diligently as a social worker first at the Department of Social Services of Marion and Dillon Counties for a number of years. She then worked at Saint Eugene Medical Center from 1990-2004 as a social worker where she also passionately coordinated a group of volunteers known as “Helping Hands.” Mrs. Ford was very intentional about meeting the needs of people around her, both in the workplace and in her community. The remainder of her social work career was completed at the Department of Social Services of Dillon where she retired in 2010. Mrs. Ford went above and beyond the duties of her job at DSS and often spent much of her personal time and resources helping children have access to things like Christmas gifts, school supplies, clothes and opportunities to attend summer camps.
Mrs. Ford was a member of First Baptist Church in Dillon, SC and she faithfully watched each Sunday Service from home once her mobility limited her ability to attend in person.
Mrs. Ford is survived by her husband, Mr. William “Bill” Jesse Ford, Jr. They were a great team together and enjoyed 51 years of marriage. She is survived by her son, Jess Ford of Dillon, daughter, Marie Ford Rogan (Will) of Summerville, SC and her three grandsons, Walt, Ike, and Mac Rogan, who brought her immeasurable pride and joy. Other close family members include her sister, Ann Nain, of Charlotte, NC, her brother, Randy Bryant, of Mullins, SC, her sisters-in-law, Isla Graham (Art) of Camden, SC, Becky Duke (Jesse) of Fernandina Beach, FL, and Elaine Bryant Hayes of Fayetteville, NC, and brother-in-law, Jimmy Renfrow, of Lake View, SC.
Mrs. Ford also has a precious group of lifelong friends who came together in early childhood in Mullins, SC, and named themselves, “The Hens.” They’ve made a lifetime of memories together, and they have always affectionately called Mary Sue “the Queen” of the group.
Along with her parents, Mrs. Ford was preceded in death by her brother, Johnny Bryant of Fayetteville, NC as well as her sister-in-law, Florinette Renfrow of Lake View, SC, and brother-in-law, Arleigh Nain of Charlotte, NC.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Dillon First Baptist Church or The Gideons.