On December 10, 2018, Mary Rogers Jordan, loving wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away at the age of 87. Her life was a testimony to serving others and creating beauty out of whatever was at hand. Mary could take a meal of leftovers and make it look like a feast. She loved to sew and never made anything strictly utilitarian: all of her gifts for others had special details added to make them perfect for the recipient.
Survivors include her sister Martha Jane Henderson; her children Mary “Marta” Jordan Burgess (Ron) and John Sheffield Jordan III (Nita); and her grandchildren: Ronald Lee Burgess III (Dawn), Regina Burgess DeBord (Tristan), Julia Burgess Hillsinger (Brian), Mary Burgess Huston (Peyton), John Powell Burgess, John Sheffield Jordan IV, Wesley William Jordan (Leigh), and Jaime Candace Jordan-Helms (Jonathan). She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Ronald Lee Burgess IV, Lacy Marie Burgess, Wyatt Todd Burgess, Dominic Simon DeBord, Joshua Otis DeBord, Constance Damaris DeBord, Brian Paul Hillsinger Jr., Walker Sheffield Hillsinger, Jordan Monroe Hillsinger, Miriam Anne Hillsinger, Brooke Peyton Huston, Tyler Sheffield Huston, and Mae Frances Huston.
Mary was born in Cairo, Georgia, the daughter of James David Rogers and Martha Walker Rogers and grew up in Blakely, Georgia, working at her parents’ five-and-dime store. She attended Emory University and became a registered nurse and maintained a life-long interest in healthcare. After her marriage to John Sheffield Jordan Jr in 1952 she lived happily for many years in Birmingham after brief sojourns in Atlanta and Germany. She and John were both devoted members of Woodlawn Baptist Church and spent many hours in service there. It is a testament to her spirit of joy and adventure that when her husband said (while in his fifties) “What do you think about me joining the Navy?” Mary said, “Let’s!” During her husband’s naval career Mary lived in the Tidewater Virginia area, bringing her special blend of friendship and practical kindness to all who met her. After John’s retirement from the Navy in 1993 they returned to Birmingham and the embrace of life-long friends. Caring for her family, friends and church family was the joy of her heart. While we will miss Mary’s lovingkindness and her effortless hospitality, we rejoice that she is worshipping her Savior face to face and reunited with her beloved husband John.
The visitation will be at noon on Saturday at The Church at Liberty Park (12001 Liberty Parkway, Vestavia Hills, Ala) and the celebration of Mary’s life immediately after at 2 o’clock. The graveside service will take place at Forest Hill Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations for the building program at The Church at Liberty Park are gratefully accepted.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18