Mary Charlotte Swann Ball

MARY CHARLOTTE SWANN BALL, age 81, of Jefferson City, TN passed away Sunday morning, December 5, 2010 at her home. She leaves her loving husband of 59 years, Louis Oliver Ball, Jr.; two sons, David Louis Ball and M. S. Ball of Knoxville; and two grandchildren, Gurudev Jeremiah Ball and Rama Elijah Ball. Her parents, Leo Melvol Swann and Roxie Dixon Swann of Knoxville preceded her in death. Born in Knoxville, TN, she lived in Kentucky while Louis served in the US Army. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and her graduate degree in organ at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Her career as a church organist and teacher began at age sixteen when she was invited to play for the services at McCalla Avenue Baptist Church (now Chilhowee Hills Baptist Church). Further service continued at Inskip Baptist Church in Knoxville, and then at historic Severns Valley Baptist Church in Elizabethtown, KY. In 1961, she moved to Jefferson City, where she became organist at First Baptist Church, serving for thirty-five years. In 1964 she began her career as an Assistant Professor at Carson-Newman College where she taught until her retirement in 1994. With her husband, she was the composer of five volumes of organ and piano selections for church use. Writer of numerous articles for church music periodicals, her more than two-hundred-sixty organ students are literally playing in churches around the world. Special thanks are extended to Angie France, former student and teacher who cared for Mary Charlotte during her third and losing bout with ovarian cancer. Services are scheduled for Thursday, December 9, 2010 in First Baptist Church of Jefferson City. Dr. Gene Wilder, Pastor, and Dr. Raymond Lloyd, retired minister, will lead in the service. The organist will be Paula Roberts, a former student, now organist at Second Presbyterian Church in Louisville. Soloists include Michael Bundon, David Glover and Susan Manola. Friends will be received at the church beginning at 5:00 p.m. prior to the service. A celebration of her life in music and Word will begin at 6:45. Family and friends will meet at Woodlawn Cemetery in Knoxville at 1:45 p.m. on Friday, December 10, 2010 for a 2:00 p.m. interment service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Louis and Mary Charlotte Ball Institute for Church Music at Carson-Newman College, 1646 Russell Avenue, Jefferson City, TN 37760. Arrangements by Farrar Funeral Home in Jefferson City, TN (865) 475-3892