Mary “Tookie” Banning Died; Former Westporter

Mary "Tookie" Banning passed away peacefully on August 26th. A sweet southern girl from Morristown Tennessee, Mary thrived on nurturing her family, friends, and relationships. She paid attention, remembering the details of other's successes and tribulations, and was always asking for updates on the latest events in their lives.

The daughter of George "Buck" James and Ruth White James, she was always "Tookie" to everyone. She met the love of her life, Clarence "Sonny" Banning, at the University of Tennessee. The couple settled in Sonny's hometown, Memphis, and had two lovely children: Mary Katherine and James Winthrop. The family moved to Westport Connecticut where Sonny worked for IBM, and where Tookie stayed after her husband's death until moving back to Memphis in the late 1980s.

Tookie is survived by her daughter and husband, Katherine Banning Lintz and Richard Lintz, two grandchildren, Allison Banning Mangin and James Christopher Lintz, their spouses, and four great-grandchildren. The Banning family has also always stayed close to Sonny's sister's family, the late Mary Ann and Tom Frazier, their five sons, wives, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

A graveside service will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery at 11:00am, Saturday, September 17th, with a lunch and walk in the Botanical Gardens following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations are appreciated to The Foundation for Barnes Jewish Hospital: Neurosciences (www.foundationbarnesjewish.org), Equipping Servants International (www.esionline.org), or a charity of your choice.