Mary Glynn Arnwine is a well-known community volunteer in Covington and also a dedicated and creative gardener.

A native of Delano, Polk County, Tenn., she grew up near the Wildwater Ocoee Basin, today known for its "rolling thunder river’’ and rafting center. It is there that she developed a love of nature, a sense of community and a strong work ethic.

After graduating from Polk County High School, Mary graduated from McKenzie Business College in Chattanooga, Tenn.

During World War II, she worked for the Corps of Engineers, and after the war, she worked and studied insurance in Chattanooga.

Mary and her husband, Philip, and two daughters lived in Etowah, Tenn., for 18 years, while Mary was an insurance coordinator for Bowater Southern Paper Corp. and Philip was employed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. After her husband’s death 18 years ago, she moved to Covington to be near her daughters.

In Covington, she has been a dedicated community servant, helping with many charities and/or non-profits, and taking food and spending time with the sick and shut-in.

Mary was the third recipient of the Pat Patrick Most Outstanding Woman of the Year Award, and is president of the Covington Woman’s Club. She is a member of the Covington Garden Club and the Senior Saints Choir at First United Methodist Church.

She also prepares and mails the First United Methodist Church Informer to all members of the church; designs fresh floral arrangements for the church; is a member of the over 50’s Club; and cooks for special events at the church.

She is a member of the Christian Fellowship Class; a member and treasurer of the Callie Cohen Circle; chairman of the Prayer Chain Volunteers; and most recently, serves on the GAFWC Tenth District History Committee, working to preserve and archive the history of the organization.

Although Mary Arnwine is busy doing good deeds for others, her love of beauty and gardening is evident in her Southern garden.

– informaton submitted by Deborah Dial