Mary Lynn Godbold Bills

Mary Lynn Godbold Bills died on October 30, 2025. Born on April 30, 1940, in Rembert, South Carolina, she was the daughter of Ed and Louise Godbold. Her birth took place in a very modest, four-room frame home, the intended retirement home for her Grandfather Godbold, a highly respected but impoverished Methodist minister. From her birth to her final days on earth, Mary Lynn was a survivor, a fighter, a fierce advocate of those in her family and her circle whom she held dear. She grew up on a farm with her parents, her sister Doris, her brother Stanly, and the nurturing environments of McLeod Chapel Methodist Church and Hillcrest School. An accomplished pianist, she gave a private recital when still a teenager. After she graduated from high school, she married Daniel Joseph Bills, then a young airman from Kansas, and together they built a 65-year long marriage and partnership, characterized by many happy years in church and music, as well as dealing with the often-difficult challenges that sometimes made their lives less than easy. They were blessed with two children, their daughter, Melissa Lynn Bills, followed by their son, Robert Todd Bills. Mary Lynn held several secretarial positions, taught piano lessons, and served as church organist before becoming a full-time mother and homemaker after Todd’s birth. Imitating her mother, she became a fantastic cook, skilled seamstress, and extraordinary interior decorator. She attended church, read, played bridge, traveled in the US, but her dominant characteristic was her complete devotion to her parents, her husband, her siblings, and her children. She would slay dragons for them when needed, but she always clung stubbornly to her own opinions even when differing from theirs. Preceded in death by her parents, her husband Dan, her sister Doris, she is survived by her brother Stanly Godbold (Jeannie) of Starkville, Mississippi, her daughter Melissa Thomas (Gary) of Lexington, South Carolina, and her son Todd Bills (Fiona) of Atlanta, Georgia. Surviving grandchildren include Rachel Rainbolt (John) of Tallahassee, Florida, Danielle Lundgren (Zachary) of Alexandria, Virginia, Alina Mencias (Juan) of Atlanta, Georgia, Ethan Bills of Austin, Texas, and RJ Bills of Atlanta, Georgia. Of the numerous nieces and nephews, the few who got to know her well became special recipients of her love and largesse. Also surviving, Carla Palmer became her devoted friend and caregiver during her last year on earth. Memorial Services will be held Saturday, November 8, 2025, at Noon from the Posey Funeral Chapel. The family will receive guests one hour prior to the service. At a later date, her and her late husband Dan will be privately interred in the family cemetery plot at Marion, South Carolina. Memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or the charity of your choice. The family wishes to express their heartfelt gratitude for the love and support received during this time.

Tributes

Mary Lynn Godbold Bills

April 30, 1940 - October 30, 2025