Mary Evelyn Sayers-Adkins

Mary’s parents were the late Audrey and Ray Suddeath from Brownsville Tennessee. Mary went to Haywood High School in Brownsville, Tennessee. She quit school in April 1948 to help raise her younger siblings and help her parents work on their farm. Her siblings were Earl Suddeath (Vernell), Thomas Suddeath (Susie), and Nell Mathias (Marion). They all are of the Jackson, Tennessee area and all proceeding her in death except for Thomas‘s wife Susie. Mary has one niece and eight nephews she loved dearly, David Mathias, Johnny Mathias, Jimmy Mathias, Cathy Sue Kirk, Terry Suddeath, Ricky Suddeath, Glen Suddeath and Billy Suddeath. All are from the Jackson TN area. Three of the eight have preceded her in death, David, Terry, and Glenn.

Mary learned how to farm, cook, sew, and clean at a young age. She made all of her own clothes. As a family, they earned money by sewing for other people and making items to sell like blankets, quilts, sheets, curtains and clothes. As she got a little older, she took an outside job at Oakley fashion sewing company in Jackson, Tennessee and worked there for many years.

She met and married Robert Ray Sayers on September 19, 1959. He preceded her in death in July 1989. They lived and worked in the Jackson/Beech Bluff area. She often went to her husband‘s work to help him and eventually began working at North Side Junior High and High School janitorial services beside him. She loved working there and loved being around the kids, they had no children of their own.

After her husband Robert's death, she stayed single for about seven years until she met and married Charles E Adkins Sr. From Paris, Tennessee and formerly of Springfield, Ohio. They married in March 1996. He preceded her in death in May of 2010. She became a stepmother of six adult children; Charles Adkins, Jr. (Helen) of Hilliard, Ohio, Jean Southers (Paul) of Thornville, Ohio, Robert Adkins (Kathy) of Lexington, Kentucky, Carol Dunbar of Urbana, Ohio, David Adkins of Springfield, Ohio, Michael Adkins (Marieta) of Woodlawn, Tennessee. Four of those children have proceeded her in death; Charles, Jr., Jean, Carol, and David.

She has 12 grandchildren; 27 great grandchildren; 19 great great grandchildren; and 8 great great great grandchildren.

She was well loved and lived a long fulfilling life.

A service to celebrate the life of Mary Evelyn Sayers-Adkins will be held on Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 1 p.m. at the North Chapel of George A. Smith and Sons with burial following in Beech Bluff Cemetery. The family will receive friends beginning at 11 a.m., two hours prior to the service.