Mary Ester Hines

Mary Hines, daughter of the late Edward and Courtney Weathington, was born on April 26th, 1927 in Greenville, North Carolina. In the late 1940s, she married the late Willie Hines and they had seven children: Barbara, William, David, Shirley, Jeannette, Diana, and Deborah Hines.

A God-fearing woman, Mary attended Enon Baptist Church in Philadelphia, PA for over 50 years. Her favorite musical genre was gospel and she was a devoted fan of Aretha Franklin, James Cleveland, and most of all, Shirley Caesar. Her all-time favorite song was Shirley Caesar’s “I Remember Mama” because, in her words, “it reminds me of my momma and growing up...my momma always stressed the importance of education.”

Mary championed those principles in her own house, pushing all seven of her children to strive for greater and they did indeed. All seven graduated from high school and received postsecondary degrees and certifications in a variety of fields including carpentry, marketing, accounting, business and more.

She spent the majority of her life in Philadelphia where she raised her family. As her children aged, she stayed active in their lives as a consultant and confidant. Outside of her family, she lived a private life. Her hobbies included knitting, crocheting, soap operas, the news, church and scrapbooking. She kept a private scrapbook documenting the successes of African Americans over the decades from the Civil Rights Movements to the election of the First Black President - something she never thought she would see in her lifetime.

In 2019, Deborah Dews, her youngest daughter, transitioned her from Philadelphia to Glen Burnie, MD where she lived out her final days. She departed from this life on Thursday, April 9th, 2020, due to the Coronavirus.

Her surviving family includes three sisters: Madeline Hill, Constance Weathington, and Martha Smith; six children: Barbara Hines, David Hines, Shirley Hines, Jeannette Hines, Diana Griffin, Deborah Dews, and one Daughter-in-Law: Bella Hines; seven grandchildren: David Jr., Angie, Wanda, and Michelle Hines, Jonathan and Christopher Dews, Marlena Ambrister, and a host of great-grandchildren.