Mary Lindley Burgin, 82, of Lake Junaluska, passed away on January 25, 2026, at her home from Parkinsons and Alzheimers diseases.

Mary was born in Old Fort, North Carolina, in August of 1943 to George Edward Lindley and Elizabeth Lipe Lindley. She was an alumna of Brevard College and spent her working life as an administrator and executive assistant. Mary worked with Harry & Bryant Funeral Home and SCI in Charlotte, and with the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference office and with The Foundation For Evangelism at Lake Junaluska. She was a member of Clyde Central United Methodist Church.

Mary kept in close contact with many of her Old Fort High School classmates, including Polly Kelly, Maggie Vess, and Locke Kelly. Her signature color was purple and she enjoyed wearing it in clothing and accessories and seeing it in her garden. Home was always the mountains of western North Carolina, but she loved traveling with her children and grandchildren. She was known as “Mocha Mary” at a local coffee shop. She loved flowers, hummingbirds, and puzzles. She delighted in reading, music, and her friends and family.

In 1963, she married William Grady “Bill” Burgin, Jr. and shared 45 years with him, until his passing in 2009. Mary was a much-beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

Her children are Kathy Lynn (Tim) Sisk, Karen Cheryl (Mark) McLaughlin, and William Clark (Leslie) Burgin. Her grandchildren are Haley (Jake) Turney, Elizabeth (David) Cananzi, Mark McLaughlin, Jr., and Andy McLaughlin. Great-grandchildren are Liam Turney, Julia Cananzi, Sophia Cananzi, and Noah Turney. Her brother is Clark (Betty Ann) Lindley, and her sister-in-law is Nancy Burgin (Terry) Rankin.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, aunt Edna Lipe, brother Charles Lindley, and husband Bill.

The family would like to express our gratitude to Mary’s wonderful caregivers, Theresa Amissah, Megan Couser, and Susie Dickerson, to the staff of Memory Care of Waynesville, and to Four Seasons Hospice and Nurse Elizabeth Dupree for the excellent care, support, and kindness they provided.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to Memory Care, Four Seasons Hospice, or The Foundation for Evangelism.

A celebration of her life will be held on August 1, 2026, at the Chapel of Wells Funeral Home, Waynesville, time to be determined

The care of Mary has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Waynesville.