Marian K. Mays

Born in 1931 in New Stithton, Hardin County, Kentucky. Marian attended Vine Grove Elementary School and graduated from Elizabethtown High School in 1949.

She began her business career as a secretary at Southern Continental Telephone Company and retired as a supervisor at the Hardin County Office of the Bureau of Social Insurance, Kentucky State Bureau of Health Services.

Marian was deeply civic-minded, serving as president of several organizations, including the Elizabethtown Junior Women's Club, the Women's Club of Elizabethtown, the Hardin County Democratic Women's Club, and the Rairsok Shrine Ladies Club. She was also a devoted member of Severns Valley Baptist Church and Eastern Star #174.

In 1966, Marian was crowned Mrs. Kentucky. She was also honored as a Kentucky Colonel, named State Junior Clubwoman of the Year, and inducted into the Elizabethtown Junior Woman's Club Hall of Fame.

Above all her accomplishments, Marian was a loving wife, married to L. Rudolph Mays for over 60 years and was a devoted mother who nurtured her children with kindness, wisdom, and unwavering faith.

She is survived by her two sons, Steven L. Mays (Patti) of Elizabethtown, KY, and Mark L. Mays (Melinda)of Beavercreek, OH; four grandchildren, Katie Mays, Laura Taylor, Matthew Mays, and Taylor Renee' Barr; two step-grandchildren, Brian White and Andrea Bloodworth; and eleven great-grandchildren.

Marian was preceded in death by her husband, L. Rudolph Mays; her parents, Charlie and Jessie Cowley; her brother, Harold E. Cowley; and a half-sister, Mildred O'Brein.

The Funeral Service will be held at 12pm on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 at Brown Funeral Home, with Rev. Kevin Mays officiating. Interment will follow at the Mays family plot in Hardin Memorial Park, North Miles Street.

Visitation will be held from 9am - 12pm at Brown Funeral Home prior to the Funeral Service on Tuesday.

In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made as donations to Severns Valley Baptist Church Building Fund or Kosair Shriners Charities for Crippled Children. Condolences may be shared online at www.brownfuneral.com.