IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Mary Ann
Medford Claud Sansbury
May 11, 1938 – August 10, 2025
Obituary
Mary Ann Medford Claud Sansbury, 87, died on August 10, 2025, in Tryon, North Carolina. Born on May 11, 1938, in Oxford, North Carolina, she lived a vibrant and purposeful life marked by her dedication to music, literature, the fine arts, and her deep, loving devotion to family and friends.
Mary Ann was the daughter of John William and Amelia Medford. She grew up in Lancaster, South Carolina, and attended Converse College in Spartanburg, where she obtained both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music. After college, she sang professionally at opera companies in Charlotte and St. Louis.
With her first husband, Joseph Claud, and her children, she lived in Winston-Salem and Charlotte before settling in Tryon. There, Mary Ann began writing art and music reviews, travel pieces, and personal profiles for numerous publications. She became a weekly columnist for the Hendersonville, North Carolina, Times-News , writing about life and culture in the Carolina mountains. In addition to writing, she served as Chief Executive Officer for the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE), volunteered for Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, and provided voice lessons to aspiring singers. Her first husband predeceased her in 2005. In 2009, she married Olin Sansbury, Jr., of Spartanburg.
In 2014, Mary Ann published her first novel, The Dancin' Man, about a fictional Southern textile family. She followed that with two well-received sequels as well as a collection of her Times-News columns called Blue Ridge Pilgrimage . A fierce defender of independent booksellers, she spoke frequently at readings, libraries, and publishing programs. She also taught adult education courses in creative writing and Southern literature.
She is lovingly remembered by her husband Olin; her children Elizabeth Claud and John Claud (Mary Clare); her grandchildren Merritt Claud, Amelia Claud, and Daniel Florez; and Olin's son Bennett Sansbury (Mary) and his family Tyler Brown (Ayla), Isabella Sansbury, and Olivia Sansbury. She was predeceased by her parents and her older brother, John William Medford, Jr.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donations in her memory to the J. William Medford Library Endowment Fund ( donate.sc.edu/direct-your-gift , fund #b11532) or to Thermal Belt Outreach ( tboutreach.org/honorariumsmemorials ). There will be a service at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Tryon, where she will be interred in the Memorial Garden. A reception will follow.
Mary Ann was the daughter of John William and Amelia Medford. She grew up in Lancaster, South Carolina, and attended Converse College in Spartanburg, where she obtained both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music. After college, she sang professionally at opera companies in Charlotte and St. Louis.
With her first husband, Joseph Claud, and her children, she lived in Winston-Salem and Charlotte before settling in Tryon. There, Mary Ann began writing art and music reviews, travel pieces, and personal profiles for numerous publications. She became a weekly columnist for the Hendersonville, North Carolina, Times-News , writing about life and culture in the Carolina mountains. In addition to writing, she served as Chief Executive Officer for the Foothills Equestrian Nature Center (FENCE), volunteered for Hospice of the Carolina Foothills, and provided voice lessons to aspiring singers. Her first husband predeceased her in 2005. In 2009, she married Olin Sansbury, Jr., of Spartanburg.
In 2014, Mary Ann published her first novel, The Dancin' Man, about a fictional Southern textile family. She followed that with two well-received sequels as well as a collection of her Times-News columns called Blue Ridge Pilgrimage . A fierce defender of independent booksellers, she spoke frequently at readings, libraries, and publishing programs. She also taught adult education courses in creative writing and Southern literature.
She is lovingly remembered by her husband Olin; her children Elizabeth Claud and John Claud (Mary Clare); her grandchildren Merritt Claud, Amelia Claud, and Daniel Florez; and Olin's son Bennett Sansbury (Mary) and his family Tyler Brown (Ayla), Isabella Sansbury, and Olivia Sansbury. She was predeceased by her parents and her older brother, John William Medford, Jr.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider donations in her memory to the J. William Medford Library Endowment Fund ( donate.sc.edu/direct-your-gift , fund #b11532) or to Thermal Belt Outreach ( tboutreach.org/honorariumsmemorials ). There will be a service at 11 a.m. on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Tryon, where she will be interred in the Memorial Garden. A reception will follow.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Mary Ann Medford Claud Sansbury, please visit our flower store.
Services
Memorial Service
August
15
Holy Cross Episcopal Church
Starts at 11:00 am
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