Maralyn Howell Bullion passed away peacefully on the morning of August 9, 2024.She was 101 years old, with a wit and mind decades younger. Her life in Oxford has deep roots, and like the huge old pecan tree in her yard, reached out in many directions to touch her beloved community in countless big and little ways.
Maralyn was born in 1922 at the old Culley hospital on Van Buren Street. Her parents Braxton and Hilma Howell were both schoolteachers. She spent most of her childhood in communities near Oxford and would often note that the family lived “pretty primitively.” But happy memories were not lacking: making good friends, singing in the church choir, playing basketball, taking care of various animals, watching the train roar through town, fishing with her two brothers, and so much more.
An interesting life had begun and continued through Maralyn’s University High School years in Oxford. She did well academically and enjoyed a thriving extra-curricular life, including writing for the school paper, dating the football team captain, and socializing with William Faulkner’s nephew and stepson. In her senior year, Maralyn’s father was elected Lafayette County tax assessor and later served as chancery clerk. The family was firmly ensconced in Oxford.
Then it was off to Ole Miss. Maralyn joined Phi Mu there where she made lifelong friends. She often borrowed her brother’s green convertible Model A Ford nicknamed “The Green Hornet,” and would transport friends to all sorts of fun outings.
The mainstay of her college years were marked by World War II, and sadly, many “never came back.” During this time, Maralyn continued to build a deep involvement on campus, including writing for the school newspaper as well as working as a society editor at the Oxford Eagle, participating in archery, and serving as the Phi Mu president. To cap off her college career, Maralyn was elected the first woman student body president in 1943.
After graduating in 1944 with a degree in English and Sociology, Maralyn moved to Memphis where she worked as a copywriter and proofreader for a pharmaceutical company. She also contributed her writing and editing skills to a hospital education office. That experience led to a writing position with the Red Cross in Atlanta. It was there, on her daily trek to get the Memphis paper at a nearby newsstand, that Maralyn met her future husband, Jim Bullion, who was on leave from the Army.
Her union with a military man from Minnesota brought on whole new dimensions to Maralyn’s life, which included six children and lots of travel. When the couple lived outside of Paris and in Heidelberg, Germany, they took advantage of their location to visit many parts of Europe, including a fascinating trip “behind the iron curtain” in the late 1950s. In 1960, the family moved back to the states and settled in Washington, DC. While her husband worked for the government, Maralyn raised the children, was active in church, and taught English at several inner-city schools.
After her husband’s passing in 1991, Maralyn returned to Oxford to care for her ailing mother, Hilma Howell. She rekindled her love of Oxford and moved back in 1998. She built a house with a long and wide front porch, which has played host to numerous gatherings, including her large and merry annual July 4th family reunions.
Maralyn was a dedicated member of St. Peter’s Church, participating in Bible study, the Racial Reconciliation Committee, the Leap Frog Program, and more. She considers her visits with those living at the Regional Center some of her most important outreach efforts with the church.
She was an officer and longtime active member of the David Reese Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). And as an avid reader, Maralyn adored her beloved book club. The day before she passed away, Maralyn hosted a jovial luncheon for the group and reveled in their camaraderie.
One of the most direct impacts Maralyn had on Oxford is her work with the Lafayette County Heritage Foundation. In addition to countless hours helping organize genealogical documents and other tasks, she was instrumental in the preservation and conversion of the Burns Belfry Church into a museum and multicultural center dedicated to local African-American history. Maralyn’s tireless efforts also went into the restoration of the L.Q.C. Lamar House.
And of course, she remained a loyal and active booster of Ole Miss, where her son Stuart served as the chair of the department of journalism from 1997 to 2004. Not a weekend went by when she wasn’t watching “the game” and chatting with family and friends about performance and rankings. Her son, Tom, has lived in Oxford for many years as well, working diligently on the beautification of the city and watching over his mother for more than three decades.
Maralyn’s ancestors settled in Mississippi in the early 1800s building log cabins and living off the land to create a home. Centuries later, their one-century-old descendant lovingly carried on that legacy – helping to make Oxford one of the very best places to call home.
Maralyn is survived by her children Carma Fitzpatrick (James) of Middlebury, VT, John (Betty) of Minneapolis, MN, Tom (Dawn) of Oxford, MS, Jim (Ellen) of Hanover, NH, and Noelle Locke (Peter) of Fairfax, VA, as well as 16 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, Dawn’s daughter Kayla and her three children, and many nieces and nephews. Her husband Jim and son Stuart (Hanh) predeceased her, as well as her brothers Jim and Hershel Howell, and her parents Hilma and James Braxton Howell.
All who knew her will always carry her spirit onward and we are reminded of it with the phrase she used whenever we parted: “take care of each other.”
A private memorial service will be arranged. Memorials may be made to Burns-Belfry Museum and Multicultural Center, 710 E. Jackson Ave., Oxford, MS 38655 or The Interfaith Compassion Ministry, United Way of Oxford-Lafayette County, 440 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 5, Oxford, MS 38655.
