Marynelle Turner Dill

With deep gratitude for a long and beautiful life, we celebrate the passing of Mary Nelle Turner Dill, who lived 103 remarkable years. Surrounded by the memories she cherished most, she passed away peacefully in her beloved home—where she had lived for 74 years—on March 21, 2026.

Mary Nelle is survived by her daughter, Lark Dill Howell, and Dr. Joe Howell; her son, Mr. James (Jay) Lamar Dill Jr. and Phyllis Dill; and her grandson, James (Sonny) Lamar Dill III and Lindsey Dill.

She now joins in eternal life her grandparents, Anna Fordyce Jackson and Lawrence Wilson Jackson, Thomas Turner and Sally Gilchrist Turner, her parents, Nell Jackson Turner and Robert Clyde Turner; her devoted husband, James Lamar Dill; her grandson, Benton Turner Howell; and her granddaughter, Lauren LaNelle Howell.

Born in Gadsden, Alabama, on October 15, 1922, Mary Nelle graduated from Gadsden High School in 1939 and continued her studies at Ledgers Business School for Young Women. Soon after, she moved to Anniston, where she began a dedicated and capable career in business, holding managing and bookkeeping roles with Tanner Brothers Produce, The Anniston National Bank, Anniston Paper Company, and the National Guard at Fort McClellan.

In 1949, she married Lamar Dill and embraced her calling as a mother to Lark and Jay. For the next two decades, she also served faithfully as office manager for the family business, Dill Appliance and Service Company, supporting both her family and the growing enterprise she and her husband built together.

As her children grew, Mary Nelle stepped into what would become her most meaningful professional calling: nurturing and teaching children. Beginning with the summer recreational programs at First Presbyterian Church, she poured her energy into shaping young lives with patience, kindness, and joy. Over the next 23 years, she taught generations of children across Anniston—at First Presbyterian Church’s kindergarten, in one of the first pilot kindergarten classes in Anniston City Schools at 10th Street Elementary, and later at Johnson Elementary, Cobb Elementary, and Fort McClellan Elementary. Her influence quietly lives on in countless lives she touched.

A faithful and devoted member of First Presbyterian Church of Anniston for 87 years, Mary Nelle lived her faith through service and love. She taught the Margaret Hodges Sunday School class, served as a church Elder, participated in Stephen Ministry, and was active in the Women of the Church. She also gave her time as a Cub Scout den mother for Pack 7 and supported generations of Girl Scouts—often one box of cookies at a time.

Her commitment to her community was equally strong. She volunteered with the Salvation Army Community Clearing House, participated as a member of the Chautaugua Study Club, and, for over 70 years, faithfully supported the Knox Concert Series. In her later years, she shared her story as part of Voices – An Oral History of Anniston, produced by the Public Library of Anniston – Calhoun County, preserving her experiences for generations to come.

Mary Nelle will be remembered for her unwavering devotion to children, her deep love for her church, her generous spirit, and the warmth she shared with all who knew her—often expressed through a bowl of her famous homemade vegetable soup. Above all, she lived her life as a quiet, steady reflection of God’s love in the world.

The family would like to express our deepest gratitude to Heavenly Host of Angels Home Health Care and caregivers who so lovingly ministered to our mother and to the nurses of Amedisys Hospice.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday March 29, 2026, with a reception to follow, at The Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama (formerly First Presbyterian Church), 1701 Henry Road, Anniston, Alabama, with Rev. David Hodnett officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to The Presbyterian Children’s Home, Talladega or East Central Alabama United Cerebral Palsy in Anniston.