Mary Dill Allison, 74, of Ocilla died December 7 at Tift Regional Medical Center.
Funeral services will be held 11 AM Saturday, December 9, at the Ocilla Baptist Church with Rev. Gerald Thomas, Rev. Jesse Alligood and Rev. Jim Britt officiating. Interment will follow in Ocilla Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7 to 9 P.M., Friday evening at the funeral home in Ocilla.
Mrs. Allison was born May 31, 1932, in Irwin County, to the late Harris and Millie Hancock Dill. She attended public schools in Ocilla and graduated from Auburn University in 1953. Mrs. Allison taught junior high school at 40th Street School in Columbus. She and 2nd Lt. Jim Allison met on October 14, 1954, were engaged by Thanksgiving and married in the Ocilla Baptist Church on April 3, 1955. They celebrated their 50th anniversary April 3, 2005. Mrs. Allison was a true patriot as an Army wife. They were assigned to 11th Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, KY in April 1955. At the completion of his first duty day at Fort Campbell, Lt. Allison went home and told her “I am going to Panama for two months in May, I got six shots today, I am going to jump out of an airplane tomorrow and we are scheduled to go to Germany in January.” Quite a shock for a new bride! This all happened in rapid fire order except for the part about going to Germany. Due to unexpected health problems, Mrs. Allison was not able to go to Europe so they remained at Fort Campbell where he was assigned to the newly activated 101st Airborne Division. Their only child Amelia Dill was born December 6, 1956. Her husband resigned his commission in 1957. They lived in Birmingham, AL, Lakeland, FL and Ocilla, GA until he returned to active duty at Fort Polk, LA. The moves were fast and furious for the next few years as Jim was stationed at Fort Polk, Vietnam (twice), Fort Benning, GA (twice), Fort Meade, MD and The Presidio of Monterey, CA. During this time Mary was very active in Officers’ Wives activities, sang in church choirs, and was a member of choral groups at Fort Meade and Fort Benning. Upon Jim’s retirement from the Army they returned home to Ocilla. With their only child now married, Mary worked at her brother’s hardware store in Ocilla and became Irwin County’s first full time Voter Registrar. She retired in 1998. She was a member of the Ocilla Baptist Church, the Hannah Sunday School Class, WMU Director and sang in the choir. She served as an Area Coordinator of Gideons International, and she was a member of the Irwin-Ocilla Pilot Club. She was an avid Bridge player where she was regularly teased for being so slow. Jim often said, “Mary and the other Army wives are our true patriots. They kept the homes, trained and looked after the children, kept up the finances and paid the bills while we men were off in exotic places playing soldier.” She was a person with many friends and had unconditional love for her husband, daughter and grandchildren.
Mrs. Allison is survived by her husband: Jim Allison of Ocilla; daughter: Amelia Allison McCoy (Alton) of Chapin, SC; grandchildren, Allison Gillespie of Georgetown, SC, Joe Gillespie, student at the University of Florida, Clay McCoy of Surfside Beach, SC, Angela Tudor of Sumter, SC, and Rachael McCoy of Myrtle Beach, SC; great grandchildren, Natalie and Brooklyn; Along with her parents she was preceded in death by her brothers, Harris, Jr. and Raymond Dill.
Memorials may be given to the Ocilla Baptist Church, P.O. Box 101, Ocilla, GA 31774 or The Gideons International, P.O. Box 752, Fitzgerald, GA 31750.