A going-home celebration for Mary Jane Staton Holland Sanford of Brownwood, will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23,2010, at the First Baptist Church. Her family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. today at Davis-Morris Funeral Home, which is in charge of arrangements.
Mary Jane was very ill as a child with Scarlet Fever, which severely damaged her kidneys. She was never expected to make it far into adulthood, but she was always one to show the world what she could do. Most of her life, she battled ill health, but no one would ever know. Mary Jane thanked God for every day. She knew it was a gift.
With continually failing health of late, Mary Jane’s last goal was to make it to her 80th birthday. On Friday evening, Oct. 15, her family and friends held a birthday party for her at the Brownwood Country Club, and Mary Jane had a ball. But things quickly changed. God was calling her home.
Mary Jane was born Oct. 15, 1930, in Brownwood, Texas, to Margie Houchins and Harris Staton Sr. She was their youngest child joining two older brothers, Harris Jr. and Hillary “Buddy” Staton. She spent all of her growing up years in Brownwood, attending South Ward Elementary and Brownwood Junior High and High School.
She was a conscientious student, always making good grades, and, she also played the piano. In her teen years, she played the tenor saxophone in the Brownwood High School Band.
Mary Jane always knew how to work, having been a product of the Depression. As a child she earned money by doing hair for women of means. She also cleaned houses and had a paper route.
She was married to Lonnie Myrle Holland on June 7, 1947, and they moved to El Paso and she worked at S.H. Kress. Then, they moved to Houston and worked at Foley’s – Downtown in 1948-’49. They continued on to Bryan, where Mary Jane worked at Lester’s Smart Shop, Lilly Ice Cream Manufacturing and Brazos Finance Co. In 1950, Lilly Ice Cream paid Mary Jane to finish her pregnancy at home.
Upon returning to Brownwood in 1951, Mary Jane opened her first business venture, M&M Shop which was a children’s clothing store. She loved it, but she still had the “retail itch.” In 1960, Mary Jane and her mother, Margie Staton, opened the Glamour Shop, stocked full of ladies’ fashions. In October, 1983, Lynn Leigh Square was born when Mary Jane and Lonnie opened up the entire block as on big store, including both the M&M and Glamour Shops.
Other than God and family, Mary Jane loved nothing more than showing her customers the latest fashions and “must haves” for their seasonal wardrobes. Come rain, shine or illness, she had the drive to be at the store with a big smile and big hello and a sincere “How may I help you?”
Throughout her 60 years of retail in Brownwood, she and her businesses received recognition and various awards, including the ABWA “Boss of the Year” in 1979. She was honored by Downtown Brownwood Inc. for her personal and professional investment into historic downtown Brownwood in 2005.
During Mary Jane’s and Lonnie’s 40-year marriage, they had a family together, started businesses and they dearly loved to travel. Their trips took them to places throughout the United States, on Caribbean cruises and they traveled together to the Holy Land.
They were a great team, both personally and professionally. Mary Jane and Lonnie provided transportation for special needs children to their school “Little Flame” and also drove workers to Janie Clements Work Shop.
Mary Jane was deeply saddened when Lonnie succumbed to heart disease in January, 1988.
Mary Jane’s legacy of love of family, church and community and her strong work ethic have been passed along to all of her family. Her daughters and granddaughter are carrying on the family retail tradition and will greet you with that same smile and “How may I help you?” she taught them so well.
Most of Mary Jane’s adult life was consumed with serving her family and conducting business at her beloved retail operations, but somehow she found time for other interests. Her favorite exercise was dancing. To her family, she was known as the “jitterbug queen.” She also knitted afghans and sweaters, having been taught to knit by Dodie King. Mary Jane loved to cook for family and friends. She squeezed in reading while traveling… or under the hair dryer. She enjoyed playing the piano on occasion.
Mary Jane was a very loving, protective and doting mother and grandmother. Her daughters and families will always remember great times together on holidays and special occasions, as well as at the pool and on wonderful family vacations.
She was also very active in her Brownwood High School Ex-Students Association. Mary Jane always helped with class reunions and served as her the class of 1948’s secretary in 1998. That same year, at homecoming, at her class’ 50-year reunion, she was crowned “Coming Home Queen.”
Mary Jane had a strong faith, a deep prayer life and experienced a personal walk with her Lord, Jesus Christ. She was an active member of First Baptist Church – Brownwood and was a current member of Dr. Robert Smith’s Sunday school class.
She loved reading the Bible and could always learn from it. Mary Jane very much enjoyed doing for other people, whether it was cooking for them, calling customers and friends, sending cards for special occasions or in times of need and praying for family members, friends and customers.
On March 30, 1996, Mary Jane was married to Kenneth Sanford, the second love of her life. They helped each other deal with their losses.
Almost immediately, she went into kidney failure. Kenneth was a wonderful husband and caregiver and, in August of 2000, she had a kidney transplant. That operation gave them both a new lease on life, and they were able to travel, entertain and do more things for enjoyment. Because of Mary Jane and Kenneth having both lost spouses, they each enjoyed doing for others who were going down that same path, taking them out to eat or having them over to their home.
Together, they began a “pecan pie” ministry. Kenneth did the preparing, Mary Jane did the sharing. They baked and delivered several hundred pies a year.
Mary Jane is survived by her husband, Kenneth Sanford, of Brownwood; her daughters and sons-in-law, Sherrie Lynn and Richard Martin and Brenda Leigh and Steven Goodwin, all of Brownwood; her granddaughters and their husbands, Stephanie Leigh and Van Wilson of Brownwood and Marissa Joy and Clifton Miles of Clyde; grandsons, Christopher Clay and his wife Jennifer Goodwin of Austin and Nicholas Richard Martin of Austin; great grandchildren, Garret and Ty Wilson, Alyssa Couey, Callaghan and Mikaelyn Miles; a sister-in-law, Dorothy Garrett of Fort Worth; several nieces and nephews, including, Donald Staton of Moncks Corner, S.C., Paul Staton and wife Jessica of Blanket, Shala Staton of Brownwood, Lesa Stacy and husband Van of Granger, Tina Thompson of Frisco and Tonya Lindeman and husband Bill of Brownwood; and a special friend Joy Davis of Brownwood. She also leaves behind her grieving pet, Hoagie.
She was preceded in death by her father, Harris Staton Sr. in 1970; mother, Margie J. Staton, 1989; brother, Hillary D. Staton, 1954; brother, Harris Staton Jr. in 1995; and her first husband and father of her children, Lonnie Myrle Holland, who died in 1988.
The family requests memorials be made to the First Baptist Church of Brownwood Building Fund, 2008 Austin Ave, Brownwood, 76801; Shriner’s Children’s Hospitals, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607 or a charity fund of the donor’s choosing.
They would also like to especially thank the members of the Smith Class at FBC for all of their kindnesses, prayers, food; Dr. Tom Byrd and nurses and Lighthouse Hospice caregivers, Shayla Slayton and Kayla Gill; Chaplain Richard Williams, Johnny Duncan, Mary Pat Alexander as well as the caring staff of Oak Ridge Manor.
Condolences may be offered to the family and a video tribute of Mary Jane’s life can be viewed at www.davismorrisfuneralhome.com .
