Biography:
Mary Sue Hornor Jacobs, 80, of Little Rock died the 17th of June, 2022. She was born on February 25, 1942, in Little Rock, Arkansas, the daughter of the late Sue Elizabeth Hornor and James Tappan Hornor.
Mary Sue is survived by her beloved husband of 55 years, John Howze Jacobs and her children Lisa Jacobs Moriconi and Joseph Moriconi and John Hornor Jacobs and Kendall Pickens Jacobs. Mary Sue had four (4) grandchildren that she adored: Julian Jacobs (Jake) Burgess, Margaret Elizabeth (Maggie) Burgess, Lillian Buckley Jacobs (Lily) and Freddie Jacobs. She is also survived by her younger sister, Margaret (Maggie) Hornor Koone and Ray Koone. Mary Sue has a countless number of cousins, all of whom held special places in her heart.
Mary Sue attended Hall High School for one year before the closing of Little Rock’s high schools in 1957. Upon the closing, she moved to Helena, Arkansas where she attended Central High School from which she graduated as Valedictorian in 1960. Mary Sue spent her freshman year at Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia and then transferred to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas where she graduated in 1964. Mary Sue was a member of Chi Omega Fraternity, she was a Razorback Cheerleader, Secretary of the Student Body, a member of the Mortar Board and was a Phi Beta Kappa Scholar.
Following graduation, Mary Sue and her best friend, Shellie Wilson Bailey, moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico where she taught math at the Cathedral School.
In 1966 she met the love of her life, John Howze Jacobs and they married on November 24, 1967. The first years of their marriage, they lived in Arlington, Virginia where John was an Attorney with the Prosecuting Attorney’s office for the 6th Judicial District in Washington D.C. They returned to Little Rock in 1970.
Mary Sue was a brilliant woman and mathematician – she began her amazing career at IBM and went on to work at Dean Witter Reynolds and then to First Commercial Bank to lead the Capital Management division where she became the first female Board Member of the bank. She finished her work at Asset Consulting where she retired in 2010.
Mary Sue’s devotion to serving the Little Rock community was stellar. She was a volunteer for SCAN in 1973 and served as President of the Junior League of Little Rock in 1981-82. Mary Sue and her good friend, Hillary Rodham Clinton, founded Arkansas Advocates for Women and Children in 1977. She served on several boards including the Center for Youth and Families, Mount Holly Cemetery, the National Society of the Colonial Dames of Arkansas and the Little Rock Garden Club.
Mary Sue’s parents, Sue and Tap Hornor, were founding members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church where she attended the first service in 1952 and has been an active member ever since. She served on the Vestry as Senior Warden, she was a lay reader and active member of the Altar Guild.
Mary Sue was a wonderful fisherwoman and spent over thirty (30) years traveling to Belize, Central America with her dear friends Stuart and Jim Cobb. She will be remembered for her selfless way of living life, her grace and kindness and an unfailing optimistic outlook on life.
A special thank you to her caregiver, Jackie Marie Clark, who cared for her gently and loved her fiercely. A visitation will be held at her home on Thursday, June 23rd, 2022 from 4pm to 6pm. Funeral services will be held at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Friday, June 24th, 2022 at 3pm.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 1000 North Mississippi Street, Little Rock, Arkansas 72207.