LANCASTER, SC ~ Mary Lanning was born on August 21, 1941, in Detroit, Michigan. She was the adopted daughter of Brown C. and Marjorie G. Lanning. She grew up in Detroit and graduated from high school in 1960. She worked in cafeteria services and for the city of Detroit. She received a B.S. in Education from Wayne State University.

Mary accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Savior in 1974 while watching a Billy Graham Crusade on television. She was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Hazel Park, MI, and then Rollins Christian Fellowship Church in Manton, MI.

In 2012 Mary moved to Waxhaw, North Carolina. She attended Cornerstone Bible Church in Lancaster, SC, and then Hermon Baptist Church in Waxhaw. She became a resident of Morningside of Lancaster (now Lancaster Grove Senior Living) in 2019, and White Oak Manor of Lancaster in 2022. She passed away at MUSC Health of Lancaster on October 25, 2022.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, and is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Nancy Lanning of Lancaster, SC, and their children: Rachel (Matt) Sawatzky of Taichung, Taiwan, Elizabeth (Jason) Hildebrand of Tega Cay, SC, Rebekah (Ben) Godfrey of Lexington, SC, and Daniel (Candice) Lanning of Grovetown, GA, and by thirteen beloved grand nephews and nieces.

Mary loved to read and study many kinds of books, especially the Bible. She loved many kinds of music and sang in church choirs for many years. She loved Christian fellowship, including Sunday School, prayer meetings, and ladies' Bible studies; and she appreciated her neighbors. She will be missed by those who knew her best. "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116: 15).

The family will receive friends from 10:00 – 11:00 am Saturday, October 29, 2022, at Burgess Funeral Home and a service will follow at 11:00 am in The Chapel of Burgess Funeral Home. Burial will take place Tuesday in Michigan.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hermon Baptist Church, 9713 Lancaster Highway, Waxhaw, NC, 28173.