Mary Zimmerman Criswell passed away Saturday, March 4, 2023, at the age of 76. She lived a long, vibrant and fulfilled life and was the definition of a Southern lady.
Services will be held Thursday, March 9, at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church at 2 p.m. Burial will follow immediately at Rosedale Cemetery.
Mary was born April 1, 1946, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the eldest of two daughters to the late Charles Henry and Sarah (Sadie) Zimmerman. A graduate of Spartanburg High School and Converse College, she ventured to Washington, D.C. after college where she worked for the Small Business Administration and met a handsome young journalist, Jerry Criswell, from Ada, Oklahoma.
On September 7, 1972, she and Jerry wed and made their home in Ada. They eventually had four children, two boys and twin girls, James, Thomas, Anne and Spencer. After Jerry’s sudden passing in 1987, Mary filled the role of both mother and father to her children and committed herself to every aspect of their lives. She also played a major role in the lives of her two nieces, Lisa Gleim-Jonas and Sarah Gleim. She was the ultimate “Cougar Mom, Dance Mom, Cheer Mom, Football Mom and Peapod.”
In 1996, she found happiness again when she married her high school sweetheart, Holbrook Buckmaster Coyne, Jr. In 1999, Mary was overjoyed to become a grandmother and was the most amazing Mimi to her eight grandchildren and one great-niece.
A loyal member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church for 50 years, Mary was a constant presence at her favorite pew on the front row. Mary also dedicated much of her time to various charities, but anyone who knew her knew she had an unmatched love for animals. In addition to having a “zoo” of her own, she served on the board of PAWS, the local Pontotoc County Animal Shelter, for more than 30 years.
Mary was always the first to enter and last to leave the dance floor, and you better believe that she would request her favorite song, “Mustang Sally.” Mary also loved to sleep late, eat steak and drink her scotch, and she was well known for her joy for life everywhere she went. She also enjoyed traveling, but her favorite place in the world was Pawleys Island, South Carolina, where she had been visiting since she was a child.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Henry and Sadie Zimmerman, her husband, Jerry Criswell, and her beloved sister Anne Zimmerman Gleim.
She is survived by her children James Criswell (Lisa); Thomas Criswell (Tami); Anne Escobedo (Daniel), of Ada; and Spencer Buchanan (Cameron) of Charlotte, North Carolina; her nieces Lisa Gleim-Jonas (Bill) and Sarah Gleim of Atlanta; eight grandchildren Sadie Criswell, Maryanne Criswell, Anna Criswell, Cate Criswell, Jeri Escobedo, Luke Escobedo, Briant Buchanan and Wells Buchanan; a great niece, Libby Jonas; two step-grandchildren, Kody Brinlee (Lacey) and Katon Brinlee; and her brother and sister in law, Tom and Diane Criswell. And perhaps most importantly, she leaves behind her three beloved pups.
The family asks that those who wish to, please consider making a memorial to the PAWS Building Fund, 1200 Sandy Creek Drive, Ada, Oklahoma.
Criswell Funeral Home, Ada
