Mary Elizabeth Nail Southern

Mary Elizabeth Nail Southern, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother, passed away on Sunday April 3, 2016 at The Crest of Clemmons in Clemmons, NC. The daughter of Thomas Leo and Marybelle R Nail of Winston-Salem, Lib was born on April 15, 1926. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, John Carlton Southern, Sr.

""Lib"" was a member of Burkhead United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem where she served in various ministries within the church. She served as administrative assistant to the dean of Queens College early in her career. She and John owned Village Opticians in Chapel Hill, North Carolina from 1971 to 1984.

She is survived by her sons, Rev. John Carlton Southern, Jr of Asheville and Thomas L. (Mary Ann) Southern, Sr of New Bern. She was grandmother to Tom (Kathryn) of Riley, MI, John (Meredith) of Greenville, NC, Elizabeth (Shane) of Lexington, SC and Ashley (Kevin) of Mt. Pleasant, SC, 11 great grand-children and numerous nephews and nieces. She is also survived by her brothers Billy L Nail of Concord and Thurmond D (Shirley) Nail of Charlotte.

A memorial service will take place at Burkhead United Methodist Church at 2pm on Monday, April 11, 2016 with Rev. Elizabeth Graves and Rev. Deana Nail officiating. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to their local Ronald McDonald House or Burkhead United Methodist Church, 5250 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem, NC 27103.

Previous Events