Obit – Mrs. Mary Dillard
A longtime Tanglewood Community homemaker and former Watervale Community grocery merchant, Mrs. Mary Dillard, quietly ended her earthly journey at the age of 88 at the Alive Hospice Residence in Murfreesboro at 9:39 p.m. on Monday evening March 23, 2026. She was admitted to the facility March 20th following weeks of declining health.
Mrs. Dillard’s pastor, Bro. Lanny Thomas officiated and her son-in-law, Troy Frazier, delivered the eulogy on Thursday afternoon March 26th at the 1 p.m. funeral services from the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home. Burial followed beside her husband in the Garden of Everlasting Life at the Smith County Memorial Gardens.
She was one of two daughters and a son of the late Thomas Presley (Ton) Wilmore who died August 24, 1981 at the age of 76 and Lucy Elsie Brooks Wilmore who died February 12, 1982 at the age of 73 and was born Mary Jean Wilmore in the Pleasant Shade Community on October 25, 1937.
Mrs. Dillard’s brother, Larry Lee Wilmore died at the age of 61 on July 4, 1994 and her sister Maggie Josephine Wilmore Thomas preceded her in death at the age of 90 on September 6, 2020.
In Hartsville on November 9, 1965, she was united in marriage to Club Springs Community native, Charles Elbert Dillard. He preceded her in death on January 5, 2010 at the age of 82 following over forty-four years of marriage.
The Charles Dillard Roofing Company was organized in 1965 and operated in several Middle Tennessee counties. Mary served as the bookkeeper for the company before their retirement in 1998.
She also was a tax preparer and worked with the late Charlie Smith on Main Street in Carthage and in her younger years had clerked at Smith County Hardware.
While residing in the Watervale Community, she and Charles owned and operated Dillard’s Grocery there.
She attended the Abundant Harvest Worship Center in South Carthage.
Mr. and Mrs. Dillard were avid campers and were charter members of the Caney Cumbers Camping Club and later joined the Vol’s Camping Club.
Surviving are three children, Wanda Geho and husband Pat of the Brush Creek Community, Rickey “Burr” Oldham of the Peyton Creek Community, Catina Dillard Frazier and husband Troy of the Tanglewood Community; three step-children, Anna Wahl and husband George of Lebanon, Gary Dillard and wife Brenda Smith Dillard of the Pleasant Shade Community, Sandra Hollis of Lebanon; five grandchildren, Ted Geho and wife Paige, Brooke Oldham, Mandy Oldham Currie and husband Todd, Austin Frazier, Justin Frazier and wife Kaitlyn; thirteen great-grandchildren.
The family has requested memorials to either the Jordan Hackett Foundation or The Crew Denney Foundation.
SANDERSON of CARTHAGE
