Mary (Scroggins) Arnwine

Mary Arnwine Obituary

April 21, 1922 – October 21, 2018

 May we all hope that when our time comes to pass from this world, that we are as difficult to summarize as Mary Glynn Arnwine.  A life well lived seems an understatement when applied to nearly a century of love and dedication to the Lord, her family, her friends, and her community.

 Mrs. Arnwine, age 96, of Covington passed away Sunday, October 21, 2018.  She was born April 21, 1922 in Tennessee to William and Myrtle Lewis Scroggins who have preceded her in death.  She grew up in Polk County, Tennessee and graduated from Polk County High School, going on to attend McKenzie Business School in Chattanooga.  Mrs. Arnwine was an insurance coordinator and worked for Bowater Southern Paper Corporation.  She married Philip T. Arnwine and moved with him to Mount Juliet, TN.  Following a brief residence back in Etowah, TN, she moved to Covington in 1995 and took the town by storm.

Her two daughters and the families that they built were the pride of her life.  When she spoke of Myra and Kathy, no one ever had a doubt that she sourced immense joy from being their mother, watching them grow up, and become parents and grandparents in their own right.  She adored her grandchildren, Todd and Gwen, and extended that same love to Bobby, Marsy, and Rebecca when Myra married Charlie in1990 and they joined the family.  In her later years, there was never a bigger smile on her face as when she told stories about her 10 great grandchildren.

Third only to the Lord and her family, Mrs. Arnwine loved the Tennessee Volunteers.  Never has there been more orange in a woman’s wardrobe, and nothing made her happier than to show up at Covington Methodist in full orange attire the Sunday after Tennessee beat the Georgia Bulldogs in football.  She adored Pat Summit and the Lady Volunteers, rarely missing the opportunity to catch a game on television at any hour of the day. 

Mrs. Arnwine loved hard work – whether it be in her time with the Women’s Club, Covington United Methodist Church, in her garden, in her sewing room, or in her kitchen.  Few visited her without walking away with a hand-sewn apron, peach enchiladas, a fresh bouquet of flowers from her garden, a blackberry wine cake, or a myriad of other gifts given in the spirit of kindness and friendship.  She served as President three times of the Covington Woman’s Club, she was the Chaplain of the Covington Garden Club, she sang in the Senior Saints Choir, she delivered Meals on Wheels to “old people” when in her 80’s, she organized bridge parties to benefit the Tallulah Falls school, and she was a Stephens Minister.  If we were to capture the full list of all of her contributions to her community, we would doubtlessly fill this newspaper end to end.  In 2011, the Newton Fund recognized her giving spirit, when they awarded her the Pat Patrick Big Heart Award as volunteer of the year – which was one of the few times we ever saw her rendered speechless.

It is no doubt to her family or any who knew her that the Lord met her at the gates of heaven with a warm embrace, saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”  We have no doubt Pat Summit was next in line for a greeting.

Mrs. Arnwine is survived by her daughters and son-in-law: Myra Frady of Covington, and Kathy Massengale (Ben) of McDonough; her grandchildren Todd, Gwen, Marsy, Bobby, and Rebecca; her great grandchildren Morgan, Ashtyn, Will, Andrew, Chloe, Parker, Dakota, Mateo, Sebastian, and Soledad; her brother John Scroggins of Etowah, Tennessee; and her special family friend and caregiver Ann Whitlock of Conyers.

A celebration of life will be held at 11 o’clock, Saturday, October 27, 2018 at the Covington First United Methodist Church with the Reverend Doctor Douglas Gilreath and the Reverend Jan McCoy officiating.  The family will receive friends at 10:00am prior to the service at the church.  In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Arnwine’s family asks that donations be made to Abbey Hospice and that you wear (a bit of) Tennessee orange while doing a random act of kindness in your community in her honor.

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