Mary Eliza Griffin Pitner, 85, died peacefully surrounded by family on Monday, October 5, 2026, at Cox Medical Center South in Springfield, Missouri, following a brief illness.

Mary was born July 19, 1941, in Oxford, Mississippi, to John Sanders Griffin, Sr., and Kathryn Clarke Williamson Griffin. She lived the first eight years of her life in Senatobia, Mississippi, while her father, an engineer with the U.S. Corps of Engineers, worked on projects in North Mississippi. The family then relocated to Greenwood, Mississippi, where Mary graduated in 1959 from Greenwood High School. She went on to attend Mississippi State College for Women, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in music education in 1963.

Mary married Sam Nelms Pitner on August 25, 1963, at First United Methodist Church in Greenwood. They lived as newlyweds in New Albany, Mississippi, where Sam’s office supply business was located. In August 1964, they welcomed their first child and soon moved to Winona, Mississippi, where Sam published the local weekly newspapers The Winona Times and The Conservative. While they lived in Winona, their second child was born. They finally settled in nearby Carrollton and welcomed their third child into their family. Over the next three decades, Mary was as instrumental as her husband in running the family business, which grew to include a TCBY franchise.

Mary spent the last decades of her life in Alabama, first in Birmingham, then Leeds, then Jasper. In Birmingham she worked for several years in the Department of Biostatistics in the School of Public Health at UAB as a senior administrative assistant and later worked at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in the Senior Adult Ministry as an administrative assistant. Though no longer married, she and Sam remained friends, welcomed four grandchildren into the world, and celebrated holidays and milestones together. Mary’s final move was to Springfield, Missouri, to be near her daughter.

Music was a constant throughout Mary’s life. As a child growing up in Greenwood, she studied piano under Mary Harris Wooten and played trumpet in the high school band. While in college her extracurricular activities centered around music, and during her last two years in school, she served as choir director at Wesley Methodist Church in Columbus, Mississippi. At the time of her marriage, Mary was employed as the director of music and education at First Methodist Church in Corinth. While her children were young, she taught music classes at J.Z. George School in North Carrollton. She also served as pianist at North Carrollton United Methodist Church for many years.

For Mary, church was an even more important constant in her life. Following her move to Alabama, Mary found one of her greatest joys when she became actively involved in the Episcopal Church, serving in the choir, in the church office, and as a member of the Daughters of the King. While several moves over the years took her from one congregation to another, Mary was a beloved member of every community she joined.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, her former husband, her brother John Sanders Griffin, Jr., her sister Kathryn Rush Griffin Stroud, and her dear friend Mary Wilkins Kavanaugh Barrett. She is survived by her son John Mark Pitner (Sintawat), daughter Rebecca Leigh Pitner Nassif (Naji), and daughter Mary Susannah Pitner Fox (Joe). She also leaves her granddaughters Nayla Susannah Nassif, Rebecca Carlyle Fox Mayo (Dalton), Zeina Lucienne Nassif, and Mary Sanders Fox.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, November 7, 2026, at 2:00 pm at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Jasper, Alabama, with visitation prior to the service at 1:00 pm. A reception will be held in the parish hall immediately following the service.

Mary was known for her beautiful smile, her cheerful outlook, her gentle spirit, and her kind and compassionate heart. She never missed an opportunity to smile and say hello to a stranger, and if she asked you your name, she would repeat it and never forget it. She was devoted to Christ and his Church and shared her love for Him through her thoughtfulness and giving to others, and she taught others how to love Him, too. Mary made a beautiful impact on everyone she met, and she will be missed by all who knew and loved her.

In remembrance of Mary’s life, the family asks that any charitable donations be made to the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Leeds, Alabama; St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Jasper, Alabama; St. James Episcopal Church in Springfield, Missouri; or the charity of your choice whose work exemplifies Christ’s love for all God’s children.