Mary Mildred James Gann (1923-2022)
A life loving Jesus. A life serving Jesus.
Mary James Gann, affectionately known as Nana, joined her Savior peacefully on Friday, March 25, 2022, just days short of her 99th birthday. Her greatest desire was that each member of her family know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Born in Haynes, she and her identical twin, Martha James Hards (Jack), were the 13th and 14th of 17 children (which included four sets of twins) born to their parents, Joseph Ruffin James and Ella Elizabeth Malone James. When they were younger, she and her twin sister often performed at school as a duet known as the “Gold Dust Twins.” Most of all, Nana loved Jesus and her family with unwavering faith. She was a faithful member of the Forrest City Church of God, teaching Sunday school and often serving as a soloist. Several of her immediate family were ministers of the Gospel. Her son, John Cleve Gann, is an ordained minister in the Church of God, and will be leading the graveside service for her at the Cogbill Cemetery in Wynne.
The family raised cotton on their 40-acre farm in Haynes. Mary and her surviving siblings grew up in and around Forrest City. She lived in Forrest City until she moved to Little Rock 20 years ago to live with her oldest daughter, Mary Olivia Schroeder and her husband Dr. George Schroeder. This allowed her to be closer to many of her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. She became progressively less able to take care of herself but always retained her joyful spirit and was a prayer warrior for her family. She loved and was loved by the staff and patients at the Springs of Pinnacle Mountain Nursing Home in Little Rock. She was selected twice as queen of the nursing home. She enjoyed participating in Bingo at the nursing home and especially enjoyed the Sunday school provided there by the Bible Church of Little Rock. Many Sundays she was joined there by her grandson, Daniel.
She and John Oliver Gann were wed in November, 1942. He served as a radio instructor in the U.S. Navy during World War II, stationed in Miami, and was a long-time postman in Forrest City. He received word of the birth of their first child by telephone a year after their wedding while he was stationed at radio school at Texas A&M University. Because of a change in the law for Social Security, they had a second marriage ceremony in 1963 because John had been under age when they were first wed. Their five-yearold son Johnny gave the bride away and Gloria was the maid of honor.
Together they reared three children, Mary Olivia, Gloria Jean and John Cleve, who have blessed her with seven grandchildren, 19 greatgrandchildren, and one greatgreat-grandchild.
Visitation will begin at 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at Kernodle Funeral Home and continue until the time of the service.
Services for Mrs. Gann will be held graveside at noon on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, at the Cogbill Cemetery in Wynne, with Kernodle Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Log on to kernodlefh.com for the online registry.