Mary Alice Earls, 89, passed away at home Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026, cradled by the love of her family. She will be remembered for her vibrant spirit, lovingkindness, and devotion to her four daughters, Sheri Collett (Easley, SC), Suzette Bailey (Batavia), Jennifer August (Rehoboth Beach, DE), and Annette Fritz-Debord (Milford).

Born an identical twin on June 18, 1936, in Amelia, Ohio, Mary was the daughter of Anne Morton Jones and Frank W. Jones. She was a sister to Frank Jones, Robert (Bob) Jones, James (Jimmy) Jones, and Edna Evelyn (Jones) Cutter. Among her family, Mary is the last to pass from this earth.

Mary graduated from Sycamore High School in 1954. She found joy in home decorating, fine needlework and painting, antique collecting, making dinner parties for her family, and baking pies for municipal workers. Mary may have been best known for the formal English and cottage gardens she created at her homes in Blanchester and Newtown. Mary had a natural view of life, that, like a flower, "Everything has a season," and "There's hardly a problem that 10 minutes with your hands in the soil can't solve."

As a former Blanchester Garden Club President, Mary and her late husband of 22 years, Andrew Jackson (Jack) Earls, planted the memorial rose garden that flanks the entrance to the Village of Blanchester Cemetery where she will join him in eternal rest.

Mary is survived by her four daughters; her granddaughters, Jessica Katchman (Columbia, SC), Samantha Newberry (Spring Hill, TN), Alexa August (Virginia), Lydia August (Pine Brook, NJ), Ari August (Philadelphia, PA); her grandsons, her precious great grandchildren, and her many nieces and nephews.

Services will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at Tufts Schildmeyer Funeral Home in Blanchester. Visitation will be held from 12:00-1:00, and services will begin at 1:00. After the service, friends and family are invited to see Mary to her final resting place and then share special memories at a celebratory communion in Blanchester.

To facilitate the glorious cycle of nature, donations may be made to the Blanchester Garden Club in Mary's name.