Mary Espy McCollum, age 89, passed away on Friday, May 31, 2019, at Shelby, North Carolina. 

Mrs. McCollum was born Feb. 23, 1930, daughter of late D.T. Espy and Lucille Gamble Espy. Mrs. McCollum was a member of Bethel Baptist Church of Shelby.

Mary was a 1947 graduate of Summerville High School and graduated as co-salutatorian of the class. She married Bill McCollum when she was 19 and they moved to South Carolina where he was in the pest control business. They later started their own company, Statewide Pest Control and helped run it for many years. After his death, she ran the company for many years. She was a wonderful homemaker and a great seamstress. She loved the Lord and will be sorely missed by her family.

Survivors are daughter, Norma McCollum (George) Overcash; son, William Michael McCollum, both of North Carolina; sister, Carole Salmon; brother, Gene Espy; four grandchildren; six great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held at 2 p.m. Tuesday from the J.D. Hill Memorial Chapel of Earle Rainwater Funeral Home, with Pastor Tracy Espy officiating. Interment was in Alexander Cemetery.

Active pallbearers were Jason Espy, Jimmy Espy, Tommy Espy, Greg Espy, Brian Salmon, Matthew Salmon, Garrett Salmon and Kip Allen.