Mary Jean Milwain Lummis, 95, of Paducah, Kentucky, is dancing in heaven. On March 25, 2022, she slipped away peacefully at her home at The Lakes of Paducah, where she took up residence in 2017. She will be remembered by many for her sweet smile and “Queen Mary Jean” wave. She was a loyal member of Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church for over seventy years, teaching Sunday School much of that time.
Mary Jean was born and spent most of her childhood in Bardwell, Kentucky, and she loved every minute of it. Her grandfather, J.A. Milwain, a professional photographer and town mayor for a time, established Bardwell’s first and only movie theater, The Milwain Theater (originally the Red Moon), so among Mary Jean’s close acquaintances were Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and Gene Autry. In real-life childhood, M.J. was part of a “gang of five” that turned into lifetime friends including her best friend since first grade Virginia, her cousin Katie, Mickie, and Corrine. Along with the theater, one of the things young Mary Jean looked forward to most was making the trek to the “big city” of Paducah (no, not in a horse and buggy) to shop. She also adored everything about school, where she nurtured a permanent love of books and picked up a little French. She wanted to be a writer and was in fact author of a school play in which a little man occasionally strolled across stage for no reason. She was determined to go to college, taking the train from Baltimore, Maryland, to Lexington, Kentucky, where she attended the University of Kentucky.
Mary Jean’s family had moved to Baltimore in 1940, where she attended and graduated from Towson High School and met the love of her life, Henry Maxwell (“Pete”) Lummis III. In November 1946, upon Pete’s discharge from the Air Force, the two married, and in 1951, upon his graduation from John’s Hopkins University, they moved to Paducah. Here, along with her church, Mary Jean’s favorite places were the Carnegie Library (and when that burned to the ground, the “new library”) and Rolling Hills Country Club, where she enjoyed tennis, swimming, and snack bar hamburgers. You did not want to get in her way when she was hosting bridge club. A skilled secretary, she worked for many years at Cooper Whiteside Elementary School and Beasley Monument. She loved to travel and considered herself lucky to check off the list places like New York, London, Paris, Alaska, Hawaii, and the Caribbean. The other loves of her life were her three kids – Max, Jennifer, and David – to whom she was and always will be a north star of humility, kindness, courage, sense of humor, empathy, and unconditional love. She did not like cats and dogs, but nobody’s perfect.
Mary Jean is survived by her children, Henry Maxwell Lummis IV (Connie) of Bonita Springs, Florida, Jennifer Lynn Travis (Ronny) of Paducah, David Michael Lummis (Csaba) of Paducah; three grandchildren-Julie Ann Lummis Motes (Robert), Catherine Susanne Lummis Scott (Thomas), and Henry Maxwell Lummis V (Brandy); and nine great grandchildren-Robert, Elisabeth, and Brady Motes, Sam, Charles, and Joseph Scott, and Hank, Jack, and Luke Lummis. She also leaves behind and remembers her brother-in-law Robert Prince and her niece Cynthia Kazyak and her family; and her niece Tina Yates Phelan (Cooper) and grand-niece Christin Yates (Michael). Mary Jean is also survived by her “angels” – caregivers Angelica Guerrero, Jovita Gonzales, and Dawn Land – to whom she and her family are forever grateful.
Preceding Mary Jean in death were her husband of 50 years Pete Lummis; her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Burgess Milwain, sister Evelyn Rose Yates, brother-in-law Edgar Glen Yates, and nephew Glen Milwain Yates; and her sister-in-law Jean Ellen Prince and nephew Stephen Prince.
Visitation and Services will be at Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church on Wednesday, April 6, 2022 with visitation starting at 10:00 a.m. and services at 11:00 a.m., with Brother Eddie Smith officiating.
Milner & Orr Funeral Home and Cremation Services are in charge of arrangements.
Expressions of sympathy or memorial donations may be made to Fountain Avenue United Methodist Church, 300 Fountain Avenue, Paducah, Kentucky 42001 – 270-443-1724 – PayPal @fountainave