Mary Strickland Obituary

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of MARY CHARLES CHAPMAN STRICKLAND. Mary Charles was born in Richwood, West Virginia to the late Roy and Genevieve White Chapman.
Mary Charles grew up in Summersville, West Virginia, Newport News, Virginia, and Brawley/El Centro and San Diego, California. Mary Charles was part of the Nicholas County High School band and the majorettes. She won state champion baton twirling competition in 1953. And was part of the majorette team that took fifth place in the World Baton Twirling competition in 1954. Mary Charles was crowned prom queen her senior year in 1956.
Mary Charles married her high school sweetheart Joseph Strickland. They welcomed three children, daughter Carol Lynne and two sons Joseph Richard and Leonard Roy (LeRoy).
They moved many times during their years together. Mary Charles was a homemaker making the family home in Glenville and Morgantown West Virginia, Florence and Georgetown South Carolina, New Haven Connecticut, Decatur/Atlanta and Bainbridge, Georgia, Fairhope and Mobile Alabama, Gurdon Arkansas, Wiggins Mississippi, finally settling in Dallas, Texas close to their only grandchild.
She thoroughly enjoyed being a mom she was a Cub Scout den mother and a homeroom Mom in all three children's classrooms in the same year.
She tried nursing school. She had a job at a health food store and helped people with supplements.
She loved being Grandmama to Anna Charles. She attended many a grandparent's day, recitals, band competitions, and award shows. She hosted her granddaughter for many fall and spring breaks, Christmas, New Years and Easter. She loved taking her granddaughter to the movies and shopping at bookstores.
When Anna Charles was sixteen, they took her on her first international trip to Austria and Italy. Among Mary Charles and Joe's many trips was a pilgrimage to Israel. This trip was to influence Anna Charles decision to attend graduate school in Israel.
Mary Charles' passion in life was art. After moving to Dallas, she taught continuing education art classes at Brookhaven community college for many years. She was member and vice president of Texas Area Artists of Mesquite, Texas for many years.
She was a multi-talented artist working with many different mediums, oil and acrylic paints, pastel portraits, mixed media paintings, watercolors. She won first place in the Texas and Neighbors Art Exhibit, a five-state art competition, for her painting. She was even honored with her own art show in Grand Prairie, Texas. She also won many awards for her photography taken during her many international trips.
When Joe retired, they began to travel the world together. She enjoyed taking photographs of many beautiful and historic cities and wildlife in the rainforest of the Amazon making excellent reference material for her paintings.
Mary Charles loved her plants and tending her garden. She loved animals, especially her dear cats later in life.
She also loved using her old majorette skills in senior dance troupes at the YMCA and Senior Center performing at various nursing homes.
Mary Charles always prayed that God would send her people that needed her help.
Mary Charles and Joe moved back to their beloved Summersville in 2016. She was elected president of the Summersville Art Group where she continued to share her artistic talents. She also coordinated the Nicholas County Fair Art Show.
Family and friends will greatly miss her.
Mary Charles is preceded in death by her parents Roy and Genevieve Chapman.
She is survived by her beloved spouse of 69 years Joseph Strickland; her three children, her daughter Lynne (Ben) Godbold of Plano, Texas, son Joseph of Clarksburg, West Virginia and son LeRoy of Summersville, West Virginia. She is also survived by her only grandchild, favorite granddaughter Anna Charles Godbold of Plano, Texas.
She also leaves behind many cousins and many dear friends that she has stayed connected with over the years.
The family will receive relatives and friends for a visit and sharing of memories at the White-Anderson Funeral Home and Cremation Center on Thursday, September 25, 2025, at 6 to 8 p.m. EDT at 700 Broad Street, Summersville, West Virginia 26651.
A celebration of life service will be held on Friday, September 26, 2025, at the White-Anderson Funeral Home and Cremation Center at 11 a.m., EDT at 700 Broad Street, Summersville, West Virginia 26651 with Pastor Dan Lowther of the Summersville Memorial United Methodist Church presiding. Mary Charles with be buried at Walker Memorial Park following the service.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Old Main Arts & Heritage Center, P.O. Box 6, Summersville, West Virginia by check or online at https://www.friendsofoldmain.com/support-us, in Mary Charles' name. Six of Mary Charles' paintings are permanently on display at Old Main.
Condolences may be made to the family at our website www.whitefuneralhomewv.com