Mary Gatwood Wallace

Mary Gatwood Wallace
September 16, 1928 – August 14, 2024

Mary Elizabeth Gatwood (Aaron) Wallace, 95 years old, of Nashville Tennessee, passed away peacefully in her bed surrounded by loved ones on Tuesday, August 14, 2024.  She was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother.  She devoted her life to her family, and helping and taking care of people, including 18 years at Vanderbilt University’s Sarratt Student Center where she worked as the bookkeeper after her children were out of the house.  Prior to that, she also taught school in the Metro Nashville Public Schools and the Martha O’Bryan Center.  Once her children were in high school, she worked as a teller with First American National Bank.  She was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee, and then transferred her membership to Hillsboro Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee to attend church with her aging mother.

Her husband, Paul E. Aaron, and her four children, Linda, Mark, Lance, and Steve were the loves of her life, and she demonstrated that devotion to them in very tangible ways that shaped who they are today.  Her happiest years were the 60+ years she lived on Neartop Drive.  Being a wife, mother, and homemaker came very natural to her.  Home cooked meals, decorating her home, and working in the yard and garden, were her passion.  Praying for others, giving praise and honor to the Lord, and sharing her unwavering faith in her heavenly Father strengthened her, and were a lasting example to her children.  She loved long, daily walks, talking and laughing on phone calls with her sister, “Barbi”, playing the piano, and knitting beautiful purses, scarves, and hats for family and friends.  Mary had a beautiful voice, and would sing or whistle favorite songs as she did her daily chores.  Classical music from a variety of composers played on her stereo or WPLN and permeated her home from morning until evening.  She could easily recite the name of each piece and the composer.  Mary grew up with parents and siblings who were very accomplished musicians, teachers, and lovers of famous composers and their music, and this love and appreciation of classical music touched the lives of all those around her.

Mary is preceded in death by her mother, Margaret Barbara Delay of Deerfield, Wisconsin, and her father, Elden J. Gatwood of Albion, Indiana.   (As an additional note:  Mary’s grandmother, Barbara Ann Abrahamsen, came to the United States on a boat from Laerdal, Norway in 1863 with her parents, and older brother and sister, settling in Deerfield, Wisconsin, and married James Edward Delay in 1871).  Margaret was a gifted artist and pianist, and taught piano for 40 years.  Elden was the head of the Music Department at George Peabody College for Teachers.  He composed the music for their Alma Mater, entitled “Pillars of Peabody”, plus other classical pieces and opera.  In addition to his legacy at George Peabody College, he helmed the Vanderbilt University Marching Band for several years, and was the director of The Sacred Harp Singers of Nashville.

Mary was preceded in death by her four brothers:  Robin Frederick Gatwood, Dwight Dean Gatwood, John Edward Gatwood, and Elden J. Gatwood, Jr.  She is survived by her sister, who she was closer to than anyone, Barbara Gatwood Thompson, formerly from Memphis, Tennessee, and now resides in Searcy, Arkansas.

Mary Gatwood married Paul E. Aaron on August 27, 1951 in Nashville, Tennessee.  He preceded her in death in 1991.  She married her second husband, Lew Wallace, of Knoxville, Tennessee in 1996, who also preceded her in death in early 2024.

Surviving Mary are her four children, Linda Aaron Quarles (Rob) of Brentwood Tennessee, Mark Randall Aaron of Santa Monica, California, Lance Dudley Aaron (Tricia) of Nashville, Tennessee, and Steven Paul Aaron of Nashville, Tennessee; grandchildren John Aaron Quarles (Mandy) of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Robert Tyler Quarles of Dallas, Texas, Benton Gatwood Quarles, Scott Armistead Quarles, and Elizabeth Ann Quarles of Nashville, Tennessee; great grandchildren John (Jack) Harrison Quarles and Natalie Beth Quarles of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.  She is also survived by many cherished nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Finally, the family wants to express their sincere thanks and appreciation for the loving care and support given to Mary and her family by the remarkable  administration, nursing, and staff at Brookdale Belle Meade and Adoration Hospice.  We are forever grateful for the dedication and compassion you exhibited daily to our mother.

A memorial celebration for Mary will be held at the home of her daughter,  Linda Quarles, on Saturday, September 21st from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Peabody College or The Nashville Symphony.

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, Nashville, Tennessee.  Proudly family owned and operated.