Jane “Maw” Watson Pyron
January 8, 1913 – November 7, 2013
Jane Watson Pyron was born in Maury County, Tennessee on January 8, 1913, the daughter of William Porter Todd and Doshia Florence Pipkin Dale. Over the next 100 years, she would live a life that would be envied by many for its richness and experience.
The jobs she held were as varied as her interests and arose from her need to remain constantly busy. She may have been known as “Maw” by everyone, but her family insists her middle name should have been “Go” since that is what she always did. The year 1939 found her making pressure cookers for Ball Brothers; in 1945 she was sacking potato chips for Lays since the process had not yet been automated. In between, she riveted airplane wings as a part of the war effort during World War II. She sold Wearever cookware, did alterations for a men’s clothing store, worked for Ribilio and Sarno Big Star in Memphis, Tennessee, and was a buttoner for Garan Manufacturing in Adamsville, Tennessee. Her work with Harlow Donuts led to her entire family learning the process; eventually she would assist her son-in-law, Herb, in his shops in Selmer, Savannah, and Memphis, Tennessee and in Denton, Texas. The last “paying” job she held was with the Adamsville High School as an assistant to the guidance counselor.
She married twice and outlived both husbands. Her first, Homer Watson, was the father of her children; her second, Millard Pyron, shared his two children with her and, through her efforts, the two families grew to know and love one another, even though both Millard and Jane were in their 60s when they married.
Maw worked with the McNairy Hospital Auxiliary and was a member of the Adamsville Church of Christ, providing transportation for young people to Sunday services long before bus ministries were heard of, but there was so much more to her life. She had a wonderful sense of humor, thoroughly enjoying the tricks Herb would play on her, and had a need to be constantly learning which resulted in her taking her first computer class when she was 80. A wicked domino player who enjoyed camping and the accompanying campfires, she was a natural born salesperson, which might explain her constant and abiding love for holding yard sales. Throughout those days she could be found extolling the virtues of the various items to those who came to shop, convincing each that they truly needed what she had to offer. She was always willing to work, unless of course it was when she was ten and her father instructed her to replant the bare spots in the corn field. The heat brought about her decision to plant most of the corn in a single hole which led to an unusual crop that year. And she was not afraid to try new things which explained her willingness to drive one of the first school buses in Maury County . . . even though she had no driver’s license. After backing the rear wheels off the side of a bridge, resulting in the evacuation of the children and the farmers having to pull the bus back onto the road, she decided that perhaps bus driving was not for her. Even at age 100 she still stayed as busy as possible, snapping and canning 100 quarts of beans less than four weeks before her death.
Maw Pyron died at the home of her daughter, Alice, on Wednesday evening, November 7, 2013 at the remarkable age of 100 years, 9 months, and 30 days. She is survived by her daughters, Tanya Watson Stewart and Tanya’s husband, Herb, of Adamsville, Tennessee, and Alice Raye Watson, also of Adamsville, Tennessee and her son, Homer Watson and Homer’s wife, Jackie, of Savannah, Tennessee. She is also survived by the children of Millard Pyron, Mike Pyron of Jackson, Tennessee and Lynn Pyron Bowie of Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to her children, Maw leaves 11 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by both husbands and her parents, three sisters, four brothers, and one great-grandchild.
The family requests that memorial donations be made to the Savannah Church of Christ for the Romanian Christmas Fund.
