Mary Clyde Tanner Scott passed away on February 7, 2023 at her home in Douglas, Georgia. She was 101 years old. She was a well-loved pillar of the community, a local historian, and the oldest member of Douglas First United Methodist Church. Friends and family know first-hand that Mary Clyde lived by the saying, “People may not remember what you say or do but they’ll remember how you make them feel.”
Mary Clyde was born in 1921 to Elie Tanner and Clyde Griffin Tanner at their family home on East Jackson Street in Douglas. Another family home was the unique pink stucco house that once stood across from the Methodist Church. Mary Clyde graduated from Coffee County High School in 1939 and later received a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech Communication from the University of Georgia. She was a lifelong Bulldog fan and passed that love on to her children. As a teenager, she was chosen as the first Tobacco Queen for Coffee County. She also played basketball in high school and at South Georgia College.
One of the things that Mary Clyde was especially proud of was her work to establish the first school for disabled children in Douglas. For that work, she was selected as Woman of the Year. As a long-time member of Douglas First United Methodist Church, she was the first female to be elected “Lay Leader,” she served on Administrative Council, taught Sunday School for adults and teenagers, and played the organ for several years. Mary Clyde was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of the first Douglas Music Club. She loved to knit, crochet, quilt and make Oriental rugs.
An Athens, Georgia, resident for many years, Mary Clyde worked as the Director of the Head Start program for a 10-county area. After retirement, she moved back to Douglas to care for her mother, Clyde Griffin Tanner, and wrote a book in 2003 about the genealogy and history of the Tanner family called “john, the tanner.” The book was a culmination of years of research in libraries throughout the state of Georgia and included the positive impact her grandfather, B.H. Tanner, had on Coffee County. She also shared his story in the Spring 2019 edition of Coffee County Living magazine. At age 89, Mary Clyde’s passion for Douglas history led her to be a contributing author of “From Graveyard Road To Silk Stocking Row,” a 2010 book about the historic homes on Gaskin Avenue and the families who built them.
Mary Clyde is survived by her sister, Patricia Tanner Nazworth of Georgetown, Georgia. She also leaves behind three children, and five stepchildren: Gail Scott Owings (John); Elie Thomas Scott; Cindy Scott Farr (Cason); Nan Brown Adsit (David); Chris Brown (Felicia); Tim Brown; David Brown (Loretta); and Bill Brown. Others who will cherish her memory are grandchildren Rebecca Owings Peterson, Scott Owings, Maggie Scott Currey, Matthew Scott, Tanner Farr, Mary Hampton Farr, Alex Adsit, Drew Adsit, Christopher Brown, Lane Brown and Preston James. She will also be missed by great grandchildren Matthew, Sarah, Virginia, Grace, Eliza, Archie, Georgia, and Robert. Her parents, Elie and Clyde Tanner, and her sister, Anna Jeanne Kellogg, preceded Mary Clyde in death.
A funeral service to honor Mary Clyde’s wonderful life is scheduled for 2 pm on Wednesday, February 15 at Douglas First United Methodist Church followed by a graveside service. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Mary Clyde Scott Scholarship Fund for the Douglas First United Methodist Church Preschool. The family would also like to thank Mary Clyde’s primary home health caregivers Carol Adams, Susanne Meeks, and Donna King and others for the extraordinary care they have given our mother over the years.