Mary Jane Nicholson

Mary Jane Castleberry Nicholson, 78, of Moultrie, Georgia, passed away on Sunday, August 23, 2026, at Colquitt Regional Medical Center.

Mary Jane Nicholson was born in 1947 in a little wood-frame house in Ellenton, Georgia, and she spent her life building a home filled with love, laughter, music, faith, and family.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 4:30 pm in the Chapel of Baker Funeral Home with Reverend Jamie Lavender officiating. 

The family will receive friends from 4:00-4:30 pm before the service.

For 57 years, Mary Jane shared her life with her beloved husband, Ray. Together, they raised three children: Trudy Cole (Conn), Carol Nicholson, and Mitch Nicholson (Joanie). Her family was, without question, the greatest love of her life.

Mary Jane was a proud grandmother to seven grandchildren: Suzanne Manley, Dylan Cole, Nicholas Cole (Alexa), Cotton Nicholson, Billie Rose Nicholson, Finn Nicholson, and Saree Nicholson. She was also blessed with four great-grandchildren: Lilah Jane Thompson, Kodi Cole, Lucas Manley, and Harlow Jane Cole. Nothing brought Mary Jane greater joy than watching her family grow. She loved them completely and without reservation.

Once her children were a little older, Mary Jane began driving a school bus for the Colquitt County School System. She drove that bus along many country routes that were oftentimes dirt roads. As a result, she was known to cuss a little sometimes, but she still loved her some Jesus. The children on her routes knew they were safe with her, and they loved her for it. Years later, some of those children, now grown, would seek her out simply to thank her for taking such good care of them.

Mary Jane was a lifelong seamstress. There was nearly always a project waiting on her Singer sewing machine. Her hands were rarely still for long, and through the years she created countless things with creativity and love. She also believed that cooking supper was better with a little dancing. She taught her children that tuning in to WMTM radio and dancing around the kitchen while preparing a meal was just as essential as salt and pepper. Those ordinary moments became extraordinary memories—exactly the kind of memories that stay with a family forever.

Mary Jane had a special love for wild birds. The sight of a bird could bring her genuine delight, and throughout her life she gently passed that love of birding on to her children and grandchildren. And then there was baseball and softball. Mary Jane loved them both. She especially loved watching her children play, and there was no place she would rather be than sitting on the bleachers, cheering them on. She was a devoted Atlanta Braves fan as well, and baseball was one more way she found joy in spending time with the people and things she loved. Mary Jane was an avid Suits Rummy card player, and she played to win. Her family could rarely best her in this beloved card game.

She was also fortunate to have a lifelong friendship with Mrs. Patsy Norman. Later in life, Mrs. Joann Boatwright joined their little “Girl Gang,” and together they found plenty of reasons to laugh and have a good time wherever they happened to be. Their friendship was one of the many gifts that made Mary Jane's life rich.

Mary Jane will be remembered for many things: her sewing machine humming in the background, dancing in the kitchen, cheering from the ball field, her delight at spotting a wild bird, her colorful country expressions, her faith, her friendships, and most of all, her unwavering devotion to her family.

But above everything else, Mary Jane loved her family more than anything on this Earth. She gave them a lifetime of lessons without ever needing to call them so.Her family will carry those lessons—and her love—with them always.

Arrangements entrusted to Baker Funeral Home and Crematory.