Mary Elizabeth Tarleton

May 6, 1932 - August 21, 2021

Mary Elizabeth Tucker Tarleton passed away at home on Saturday morning, August 21, 2021, in the loving company of her family. She was born May 6, 1932 in Fairmont, WV, the eldest of three sisters and the daughter of George P. and Thelma Lydick Tucker. An excellent student, she graduated as valedictorian of her Fairmont Senior High School class of 1950. Mimi went on to earn a BS in Horticulture at West Virginia University at a time when few women matriculated through WVU’s School of Agriculture. In 1955, she and James Tarleton married and settled in Fairmont, where they raised their family. Mimi, as she was affectionately known, was a generous and kind soul with a gift for nurturing others. She was the best of mothers to her five children, a loving spouse to James, her husband of 65 years, and foster mother to numerous cats and other pets over the years. She was a life-long gardener and avid reader. Mimi created a welcoming home and was a caring, wise, and empathetic mother figure to her nieces, nephews and grandchildren, as well as to many of her children’s’ friends in the neighborhood. Many have fond memories of her excellent baking, especially her homemade pizzas and myriad of Christmas cookies. Her legacy lives on through recipes passed down and plants propagated and shared amongst friends and family. Outside of her busy family life, she nurtured and aided others as a volunteer with the Episcopal youth program, as a literacy volunteer, physical therapy volunteer at Fairmont General Hospital and through her many years volunteering with the Marion County Humane Society. She gave generously to charities focused on the conservation of natural resources and wildlife. Mimi is survived by her husband James C. Tarleton of Fairmont, son Charles and his wife Laura of Aliquippa, PA; son Patrick and his wife Gigi Blair of Alexandria, VA; daughter Amy and her husband Scott Wilmoth of Fort Washington, MD; and daughter Kathryn and her husband Paul Krawczyk of Rochester, MA; her grandchildren Nick, Sybil, India, Ian, Elizabeth, Edward, William and Neil; her dear sisters Martha Snider and Jessica Hopkins and all of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren; her brother in law Caleb Tarleton, and her Tarleton nieces and nephews and their families. She was predeceased by her son Timothy, brother-in-law William Tarleton, and many of her life-long friends. Mimi’s family would like to express special gratitude to her daily caregivers and the nurses and staff at Amedisys Hospice of Anmoore, WV. Family and friends are welcome to call at Carpenter and Ford Funeral Home, 209 Merchant St., Fairmont, on Saturday, May 21, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. A private memorial service will be held at the funeral home at 11:00 a.m. Condolences and memories may be shared with the family online at www.carpenterandford.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Mimi’s honor to the charity of your choice.