Mary Lou Jordan McEachern

Mary Lou Jordan McEachern, 70, of Wilmington, North Carolina passed away peacefully at her home on Monday, July 30, 2012. Mary Lou was born on Christmas Day, 1941 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and spent her child hood years in Kelly, North Carolina. She was preceded in death by her parents, Thaddeus Burns Jordan and Mary Keith Edge Jordan of Kelly; her brother, Auley MacRae Jordan of Wilmington; and her husband, Hugh Alexander ""Sandy"" McEachern, Jr. of Wilmington. Mary Lou attended elementary school in Kelly and graduated from Atkinson High School. She thereafter attended Selenia Commercial College in Lumberton and upon graduation, she moved to Wrightsville Beach and worked at Wachovia Bank and Wilmington Shipping Company before joining Sandy in the family business, Raysand Building Corporation, in 1969. After Sandy passed away in 2004, Mary Lou continued as President of Raysand until her passing on Monday. Mary Lou was instrumental in numerous civic and community organizations in the Wilmington area. She was a long-time member of the Cape Fear Garden Club and served as a founding member of the New Hanover County Arboretum Foundation. She has presided over the Azalea Festival Queen's Garden Party and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, and she has for over twenty years hosted the annual Azalea Belles' Tea at her home on the waterway. Through her company, Raysand, Mary Lou built and donated a butterfly house to Airlie Gardens in Sandy's memory. Mary Lou was also a member of the Carolina Yacht Club and Cape Fear Country Club. Harboring a deep love and appreciation for her rural heritage, she was instrumental in the development of the Kelly Historical Society. Mary Lou was known and loved for her generous spirit, her amazing ability to remember not only the birthdays and anniversaries of her friends- of whom she had many- and family members, but also the birthdays of the children and grandchildren of people she loved. She had an infectious smile and a sharp wit. She loved people and life, and jumped at the chance to throw any kind of party, whether it be a New Years Eve bash, a Forth of July birthday party for her daughter Mary Margaret, an oyster roast, or a Christmas party. Being a Christmas Day baby, she loved the Christmas season and enjoyed so much being able to give gifts to her beloved friends, family and employees. Mary Lou is survived by her daughter, Mary Margaret McEachern Dillow and husband Robert E. Dillow, Jr. of Wilmington; her sister, Connie Jordan Lewis and husband, Jerry D. Lewis of Wilmington; her brother, Johnny Jordan and wife, Kay Jordan of Atkinson; her brother, Tim Jordan and wife, Beth Jordan of Burgaw; her brother, Keith Jordan of Kelly; her brother-in-law Robert J. McEachern and wife, Carolyn of Wilmington; and many nieces, nephews, godchildren, other relatives, and countless friends. The family will receive friends at Andrews Mortuary Market Street Chapel from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 1. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, August 2 at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church on Market Street. A brief graveside service will follow at 2:00 p.m. at Garden of Memories Cemetery in Kelly, North Carolina, followed by a reception at Centerville Baptist Church on Highway 53 in Kelly. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Cape Fear Garden Club, 8506 Hammock Dunes Drive, Wilmington, NC, 28411 or to the Airlie Gardens Foundation Butterfly House, 300 Airlie Road, Wilmington, NC 28403.