WILMINGTON — Mary Lane Williams Safford, 97, died Thursday, June 25, 2020, at Lower Cape Fear Life Care.
Mary Lane was born July 31, 1922, in Durham, daughter of the late Wade Hampton Williams Sr. and Mary Harmon Williams. She was also preceded in death by her husband, James Davis Safford Sr.; son, Michael Safford; sister, Mildred Vidal; and brother, Wade H. Williams Jr.
Mary Lane studied voice under Barbara Troxell of the Metropolitan Opera Co. She was a featured soloist in church choirs throughout the South: Anniston, Charleston, Greensboro, Pine Bluff, Key West, Rocky Mount, and, of course, in Wilmington at Trinity UMC. She was a member of several clubs, including Thursday Morning Music Club, PEO and Cape Fear County Club.
She is survived by her sons, David L. Safford, and his wife, Tammy, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and James D. Safford Jr., and his wife, Laura, of Hampstead; grandchildren, Travis Safford of San Francisco, California, and Drew and Alyson Porter of Nashville, Tennessee; and nieces and nephews from Kentucky to Florida.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Tuesday, June 30, at Andrews Mortuary Market Street Chapel. The family will receive friends following the memorial service. A private entombment was held in Oleander Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church or Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.
Share online condolences with the family at Andrews Mortuary & Crematory.
