Mary Elizabeth Laine

Mary Elizabeth Whitehead Laine, age 98, of Charlotte passed away peacefully on Monday morning, Aug. 29, 2016 in the healthcare unit of Southminster Retirement Community. "Mary Lib", as she was affectionately known, was a friend and inspiration to the many people who came to know and love her. Her unabashed demeanor and no-nonsense approach spoke volumes of the woman who lived without window blinds. Unafraid to speak her mind, she left no doubters wondering where she stood. She held her own truth without insisting the same truth for others. Mary Lib lived assured by God"s redeeming love. Born in Greensboro, NC in 1918, to the late French David & Dillie Frazier Whitehead Sr., Mary Lib survived both her siblings, French Dave Whitehead, Jr. and Genevieve Whitehead Matthews. Graduating from Women"s College in Greensboro in 1939 with a degree in Home Economics, Mary Lib pursued a career as a dietician for Charlotte Memorial Hospital before dedicating her life as a wife, mother, homemaker and family matriarch. She met her husband, Robert Brewster Laine, on a blind date. They were married fifty years until his death in 1991. Mary Lib is remembered for her active support of the Anita Stroud Ministry for Children in North Charlotte, Sunday School teacher, PTA president, Girl Scout troop leader and host for foreign exchange student, Sigrid Wischhusen of Bremen, Germany. She notably served as one of the first four female members of the Myers Park Baptist Church Board of Deacons, breaking ground for women"s roles in decision-making in the early 70"s. Mary Lib Laine is survived by her three children, Robert Brewster Laine II and spouse, Trisha Shackelford Laine of Augusta, Ga.; Barbara Laine Herring and spouse Robert Darden Herring of Charlotte; John Christopher Laine and spouse Pegge DeLaney Laine, of Boone, NC, five grand-children; Robbie Laine, Amanda Parham, Bryan Herring, Laine Adams, Will Laine and five great grandchildren. A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Monday afternoon, Sept. 12 at 2:00 in the Sanctuary of Myers Park Baptist Church, 1900 Queens Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207. Immediately following the service the family will receive friends at a reception in the church"s Heaton Hall. In lieu of flowers, the family invites memorials to be sent to the Myers Park Baptist Church Sunshine Fund @ 1900 Queens Rd., Charlotte, NC 28207 or to the Southminster Retirement Community, 8919 Park Rd., Charlotte, NC 28210. Tribute Cremation Society is serving the Laine family. Online condolences may be sent to the Laine family at: www.tributecremationsociety.com 9/12/2016 02:00 PM Memorial Myers Park Baptist Church 1900 Queens Road Charlotte NC 28207