Mary Anne Pickens

PICKENS, Mary Cook
Mary Anne Cook Pickens of Atlanta died Wednesday, April 29, 2015, at the age of 87. The youngest of five children, she was born in Atlanta on October 24, 1927, to Charles Warren Cook and Esther Jane Hunter Cook. She graduated from Girls High in 1944 at age 16 and went to work at C&S Bank. In 1947, she married the love of her life, Walter Hays Pickens, who was, literally, "the boy next door." During their marriage, she was a devoted partner to her "Buddy" and a beloved mother and grandmother to their two children, four grandchildren and two great-grandsons.
She was a lifelong Methodist and had been a member of Decatur First United Methodist Church for thirty years. She was the founding president of the Dial Heights Garden Club, board member of the DeKalb Federation of Garden Clubs, Treasurer of the Ladybugs Garden Club and Treasurer of the Freedom Foundation. She was very active and influential in helping to grow the family business, Pickens Jewelers, in Atlanta. Mary will always be remembered for her beautiful smile and elegant style. She enjoyed gardening, was an excellent cook and seamstress, and loved entertaining in her home, where many wonderful family memories were made.
She was preceded in death by her brothers Charles Warren "C.W." Cook, Jr. (Ruth), Frank Arthur Cook, Henry Hunter Cook (Irene), sister Elizabeth Louise Cook Jones (Joe) of Birmingham, Alabama, brother-in-law Frank Leslie Pickens (Joyce) of Cairo, Georgia, and nephew Allen Jones, Jr. of Birmingham, Alabama.
She is survived by her loving husband of 68 years, Walter Hays Pickens, daughter Lynda Anne "Lynne" Pickens Lock (Gerald "Jerry"), son Walter Hays Pickens, Jr. (Kim), grandchildren Mary Suzanne Lock Ragains (Stephen), Karen Elizabeth Lock, Amanda Lane Pickens, Walter Hays Pickens, III (Katie), great-grandsons Luke Hudmon Ragains and John Harold "Jack" Ragains, all of Atlanta. Other survivors include niece Jan Jones Gilchrist (David) and nephew Craig Jones, all of Birmingham, Alabama; cousin Malcolm Montgomery (Elda) of Jacksonville, Florida, and many other nieces, nephews, and cousins.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the nurses of Piedmont Hospital and the staff of Hospice Atlanta for their expert and loving care of Mary in her final days. The family also extends appreciation to the kind staff at Lenbrook Retirement Community where she and Walter have resided since 2013, after having moved from their home in Stone Mountain.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 2, 2015, at 1:00 p.m. in the chapel of Decatur First United Methodist Church, followed by the funeral service at 2:00 p.m. in the chapel, with Reverend James E. Davis of Homerville, Georgia officiating. Interment will follow at Westview Cemetery.
The family suggests donations to the United Methodist Children's Home, 500 S. Columbia Drive, Decatur, Georgia 30030, or Hospice Atlanta, 1244 Park Vista Drive NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30319.
A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home & Crematory.



Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033