FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS
Longtime ad manager looking forward to retirement
BY SUZANNE LOUDAMY Staff writer

Mary Anne Coney

She may be leaving, but she’s not going far.

At the end of December, Mary Anne Coney is retiring from the Tri County Leader. As a reader, her name may not be familiar. If you are in business in Troup or Whitehouse or you’ve run a garage sale ad, you are probably on a first name basis with her.

But Mary Anne is on a first name basis with a lot of folks around here.

She came to the Tri County Leader about 14 years ago. Back when a sixpage paper was a big edition. Back when Bill Ellman used to print all those newspapers in the back room.

Mary Anne has been the voice of the Tri County Leader that most people know. Don’t even bother to answer the phone at the office here. It probably won’t be for you. “Can I speak to the ad lady?” is usually the caller’s request.

Russ Obar, Troup City Administrator and former Tri County Leader writer, said “Mary Anne was always such a pleasure to work with, but I really got tired of being her secretary. Every time the phone rang and I answered, they wanted to speak to the ad lady.”

And the phone rings a lot for Mary Anne. Along with all that advertising she handles, there is always someone from Troup looking for her for some reason or another. Chances are it will be Mildred Steele.

She and Mildred have been friends since childhood. “We started school together the same year,” said Mrs. Steele. Mrs. Steele moved away from Troup for a time and somewhere along the way, because Mary Anne was so smart, they put her up a grade. “So we didn’t graduate the same year, but we’ve stayed friends for life,” said Mrs. Steele.

Mary Anne is a living Troup history book. That certainly is an asset to the Troup Genealogical Society. This group came together around 1998 to research, celebrate and preser ve the historical presence of Troup and its surrounding area.

“Mary Anne is our secretary/treasurer, she does the newsletter four times a year and does a wonderful job on our calendar,” Mrs. Steele said. “She is just a storehouse of ideas.”

“I’m sure she does such a great job at the paper because she is so organized. Every minute is planned. She never wastes time,” said Mrs. Steele. “That’s one of the things that make her such a great worker and organization member.”

Her involvement in Troup activities doesn’t end there. The list is miles long.

“Mary Anne has been a director for the Troup Education Foundation for many years. She has been very active and is a tremendous asset to the organization,” said Chuck Osborn. “You know Mary Anne. She gives 110 percent in everything she does. She is a great public servant and community member.”

Mr. Osborn, who is a State Farm agent in Whitehouse, also praised Mary Anne as a businesswoman.

“She has helped me with my advertising with the newspaper for a long time. It has been wonderful working with her and she always made sure I was taken care of very well. She went way beyond the normal expectations to make sure everything was on time and accurate. I really appreciate her as a friend, client and advertising advisor.”

There is hardly a community activity or organization in Troup that Mary Anne is not a member of or at least has assisted at some time. That includes the library. Each year, she and husband Elam choose books from the library’s Christmas tree to purchase. This year, they also purchased a new globe.

Speaking of Elam, what will Mary Anne do with all that free time she’ll have on her hands after retiring? Elam has that all worked out.

“We have a couple of big trips already planned,” said Mr. Coney. Very soon they will travel to California to visit family and then an Alaskan cruise is scheduled for the summer. The Coneys loves to travel already and plan to do more of that in the future, now that Mary Anne will have a little more time.

Mr. Coney retired from ADS Restaurant Supply three years ago. He said he knows that Mary Anne really enjoys her work at the paper, but is ready to spend more time with all of her family including sons Allan and Lance.

Mary Anne’s years at the Tri County Leader have impacted many lives and businesses. Another of those is Jed Dillingham, director of finance for the City of Whitehouse and one-time photographer and writer for the Tri County Leader. “Mary Anne has been a big help to me and to the City of Whitehouse through the legal publications every year relating to proposed new budgets and the property tax rate. She’s always been patient with me as things progressed – and changed – until the last minute when the final numbers were in place. As much as I appreciate those things that Mary Anne has done in her position at the newspaper to help me out and make my life easier, I most appreciate her friendship through the years. Whenever I call her on the telephone, all I have to do is say, ‘Hello,’ and she knows it’s me. Thanks, Mary Anne, for being the person you are. You’ve made life better for everyone around you.”

We here at the Tri County Leader will miss Mary Anne’s wit and wisdom beyond measure, but we’ll do our best to continue the fine service she has always given in the past. To honor her, we invite you to join us here for refreshments and to swap a few stories on Friday, Dec. 22 from noon until 2 p.m. Please drop in and wish her well.

Good luck Mary Anne Coney!