Mrs. Mary Foscue Jordan

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. On November 3, 2023, Mary Karen Foscue Jordan—a daughter of North Carolina, a devoted wife, loving mother, loyal sister, and forever a gift called “Nana”—passed from this life with strength, grace, and dignity, called home by God to eternal union after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Lt. Col. Larry Joe Jordan (USMC ret.), sons and daughters-in-law, Mr. Jeffrey Brian Jordan and his wife Mrs. Myla Goodliffe Jordan and Mr. Matthew Eric Jordan and his wife Mrs. Alicia Darden Jordan, grandson, Mr. Aidan Donald Jordan, sister, Mrs. Anne Foscue Ireland, brother, Mr. Cyrus Foscue IV and his wife Marsha, nephews, Mr. Shane Ireland and Mr. Brandon Ireland, nieces, Mrs. Myers Foscue Smith and her husband Barrett and Mrs. Collins Foscue O’Toole and her husband Brian O’Toole, and grand nieces, Wynn Ireland and Logan Ireland, and grand nephews, Aiden O’Toole and Stadler O’Toole and Grayson Smith and Colton Smith. Mary Jordan was of a lover of children, the elderly, devotional and spiritual literature, native flora, and all creatures great and small. Many were those incredulous of that such passion, strength, and force of will could be contained in so diminutive a frame. Born on November 2, 1946 in Kinston, NC to Mr. Cyrus Foscue III and Mrs. Christabel Collins Foscue, Mary was raised 38 miles SE in Maysville, NC on the border of the Croatan National Forest. No matter how far she traveled from its borders, she considered all of North Carolina—from the coasts of Wrightsville to the western hills of Asheville—her birthright, and like so many other North Carolinians she was quick to note: “Many things are good and all of them are just a little bit better in North Carolina.” She graduated from Lucy Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, NC and later continued her education at North Virginia Community College, earning an associate degree in medical technology and phlebotomy. For 20 years, she served in those capacities at Onslow County Memorial Hospital (Jacksonville, NC), Doctor’s Park Medical Facility (Jacksonville, NC), and HCA Palmyra Hospital (Albany, GA). At age 57, she retired to become a full-time “Nana” to her grandson Aidan. Prompted to or not, she told stranger and friend alike that doing so was her true calling. She accepted her husband’s marriage proposal in 1969, and after traveling on airplane for the first time in her life—from North Carolina to Dallas, from Dallas to San Diego, and from San Diego to Honolulu—she married on February 21, 1970, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Over the course of the next 24 years, they would be stationed at Marine Corps Logistics Base (Albany, GA), 8th & I Marine Barracks (Washington, D.C.), Headquarters Marine Corps (Washington, D.C.), Camp Lejeune (Jacksonville, NC), and, again, Marine Corps Logistics Base (Albany, GA). She and her husband remained in Albany until her passing; their journey came full circle. Holy Mother Church called Mrs. Jordan to conversion in 1980, and she was baptized by Fr. Angelus DeMarco (OFM) on July 26, 1980, at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Triangle, VA. From that moment forward, she was a devoted member of the Church—at St. Francis of Assisi (Triangle, VA), Infant of Prague (Jacksonville, NC), and, finally, St. Teresa’s (Albany, GA). She regularly made donations of altar flowers, and one of her most cherished possessions, a rosary fashioned from rose petals she purchased at the Vatican, remained close to her side until bequeathed to her grandson before her passing. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Willson Hospice House in Albany, GA via the supportphoebe.org website.

Mrs. Mary Foscue Jordan

November 2, 1946 - November 3, 2023