Obituary: Marilyn Dianne Smalley Mumford
Marilyn Dianne Smalley Mumford ~ September 27, 1946 – December 23, 2022 (age 76)
Marilyn Dianne Smalley Mumford departed this life December 23, 2022, surrounded by loving family and friends. Left to grieve her loss is her husband of 58 years, Howard Mumford Jr., her brothers David Smalley (Barbara), Jimmy Smalley, and her sister, Denese Smalley. She also leaves nieces, Sara Smalley, Bridget Smalley Roberts (Paul), Lindy Yarbrough Whitcomb, and nephew Mark Smalley (Christina). A memorial visitation will be held at Shackelford Funeral Directors chapel, 109 Mecklinburg Drive, Bolivar, Tennessee on Sunday, January 1, 2023, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Born September 27, 1946, Dianne was preceded in death by her only son Howard (Howie) Mumford III, her parents Lavern Smalley and Ruby Luttrell Smalley, infant sister, Brenda Kay Smalley, and brothers, Dwaine Smalley, and Richard Smalley.
Dianne was a member of the Middleton Art League, Middleton and Grand Valley Red Hats, and the Middleton Garden Club. She was very active in the APTA (Association for Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities). Some of her APTA projects included work to preserve the historic Bills House in Bolivar, The Pillars, and the Hardeman County ‘Little Courthouse’. She sought and obtained funding for these projects by negotiating the complicated state grant process. Dianne was also a consistent volunteer with the yearly Bolivar Home Tour.
She became an artist late in life and won several awards for her paintings. Dianne was Instrumental in formation of the Hardeman County Arts Council (HCAC). She started fundraising for the HCAC in the 1990s by selling ice cream and treats at the Bolivar Ford/Mercury dealership. This effort expanded to include music on Friday nights. She was a constant and hardworking presence at the Southern Expressions Art Show as well as the Middleton Fur, Fin, and Feather Art Festival and other community art related events. Dianne worked to organize and display historic pictures and artifacts for the annual Hee Haw production performed at the HCAC.
Dianne and Howard lived in Formosa (now Taiwan), Hawaii, Florida, and Georgia before returning home to Hardeman County. They enjoyed their country life and also traveled the country by motorcycle. They motorcycled to almost all of the United States and many Canadian provinces.
She was a cherished wife, mother, sister, and friend who has left a multitude to mourn and miss her calm demeanor, wise counsel, supportive friendship,
thoughtfulness, humor, and love for all those who were fortunate to know her. R.I.P. Dianne.
Please send any memorials to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or the HCAC.
Courtesy of Shackelford Funeral Directors, Bolivar, Tennessee.
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