Mary Lou Ballew, 88, of Slater, died Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at The Living Center in Marshall.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, June 28, 2022, at 11 a.m. at Slater United Methodist Church, with Pastor Molly Moore officiating. Burial will be in Slater City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 10 until 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church. Memorials are suggested to Slater United Methodist Church in care of Weiker Funeral Home in Slater.

Born Dec. 9, 1933, in Pilot Grove, she was the daughter of the late Louis G. and Louise Masel Paxton. On July 5, 1952, in Marshall, she married Clarence D. Ballew, and he preceded her in death on May 1, 2000.

She is survived by two sons, Larry Dean Ballew and his wife, Karen, of Macon, and Darrell Wayne Ballew of Slater; two daughters, Linda Kay Horst and her husband, Robert, of Boonville, and Donna Jean Gilliam of Gilliam; seven grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Everett Gilliam on June 26, 2013; and a grandson, Matthew Ray Horst on Aug. 10, 2021.

Mary was a longtime active member of the Slater United Methodist Church. She was raised in the Pilot Grove area, and moved to the Ty and Gertrude Smith Farm north of Slater, before moving to Slater in 1965. She was a Head Start teacher’s aide for 25 years, working at the Slater, Marshall and Brunswick facilities. Following her retirement, she worked at the Slater Senior Center and Slater Public Schools. She attended Pilot Grove Elementary School, and was a 1973 graduate of Slater High School. She enjoyed gardening, houseplants, and word search books. She loved her church family and friends.