JACKSONVILLE  -  Mary Ann Walker Kahn, 82, of Jacksonville, died Sunday, January 5, 2025 ant her home after a brief fray with cancer.  Funeral services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, January Jones Funeral Home, Jacksonville Chapel.  Burial will be held privately.

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sunday, August 9, 1942. She was the only child to Robert and Catherine Walker. When Mary Ann was four years old, her family moved from Ohio to Detroit, Michigan. As a young child, Mary Ann was a shy girl and attended Catholic school. At ten years of age, her family moved to Allen Park, Michigan, where Mary Ann then attended public school. She graduated in 1960 from Melvindale High School. After graduation, Mary Ann soon began working at the National Bank of Detroit as a record keeper. After two years with the bank, Mary Ann became a floating teller working at different branches throughout Detroit.

Mary Ann met the love of her life while out enjoying a night of dancing with her friends. Howard Kahn, a young marine stationed nearby at Grosse Isle, Michigan, made quite the impression, asking Mary Ann to dance. This would begin their life together. Mary Ann and Howard were married on September 22, 1963, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Mary Ann quickly adapted to the role of military wife and worked at various banks wherever Howard was stationed. Mary Ann enjoyed pottery classes and made many new friends. Most were other wives she met through Howard's work. In 1967, Howard was deployed to Vietnam. Mary Ann was pregnant with their first daughter and moved back home to Michigan to live with her parents. After Howard returned home from Vietnam, he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, NC. Shortly, thereafter, in 1970, their second daughter was born. Mary Ann began working for First Citizens Bank in Jacksonville, NC in 1975 and would retire from the bank in 2003. In her retirement, Mary Ann volunteered at the local hospital, enjoyed crafting, traveling, and getting together with friends.  She especially cherished the time spent with family. With her steady love and devotion, Mary Ann's family has often referred to her as the "Rock" of the family.

She is survived by her husband of 61 years, Howard Kahn; two daughters, Julie Kahn of Holly Springs, NC, and Deborah Lehr (David) and grand-daughter, Abigail, of Boonsboro, Maryland.

The family will receive friends Thursday morning, prior to the service, beginning at 10:00 AM at the funeral home. Additionally, friends are invited to stop by the Semper Fidelis Masonic Lodge #680 in Jacksonville beginning at 1:30 PM on the same day, as the family will host a gathering to celebrate Mary Ann's life.