Mary Malcolm Ray Solomon was born April 14, 1978. Mary was the youngest of three children born to Margaret and Fletcher Ray of Canton.

Mary and her siblings grew up working in the family's business, a flower shop in Canton called Fletcher's Flowers. It was there, watching her parents' daily interactions with their customers, that Mary developed a genuine love for people.  The family business also taught Mary the value of hard work and how to treat people with kindness. Mary carried these lessons with her throughout her life.

Growing up, Mary attended Canton Christian Center where she found a deep faith in God and a passion for singing that brought her great joy and peace.

Mary graduated from Canton Academy and attended Holmes Junior College where she was awarded a scholarship to complete her degree in business marketing at Mississippi College. After college, Mary worked for 8 years in sales for The Radio People of Jackson.

Mary married John Ellis Solomon, Jr. of Brandon on June 11, 2005. Together, they began building a successful business, Ellis Solomon Taxidermy.  On Mary's birthday, April 14, 2011, Mary and Ellis welcomed into their family the first of three beautiful girls, Genevieve, Caroline, and Evelyn. Mary's greatest joy in life was being a mom to her girls.

To know Mary was to love her. Like her dad, Fletcher, Mary never met a stranger. Connecting with and loving people brought her so much joy. Mary had a generous spirit and was always willing to help someone in need.

Outside of work, Mary enjoyed spending time with family and friends, singing on the worship team at Life Church in Brandon, hunting and fishing with Ellis and the girls, and vacationing in the mountains and at the beach.

In the same way she approached all of life's challenges, Mary faced her diagnosis of neurofibromatosis at age 19 with tremendous courage and a peace that was deeply rooted in her faith. Mary was fearless, and she never allowed her illness to define her. Recently, when the doctors delivered the news of her cancer diagnosis, Mary didn't shed a tear and said, "God is not surprised by this. . . everything is going to be okay. I'm not scared because God's got me."

Mary Ray Solomon is survived by her husband of 19 years, Ellis Solomon, her daughters Genevieve (13), Caroline (11), and Evelyn Solomon (9), her mother Margaret Bonds Ray, her sister Elizabeth Ray Gober, her brother Fletcher Holmes Ray IV, her brother Mike Nelson, her father-in-law John Ellis Solomon, her mother-in-law Jaqueline Solomon, her sister-in-law Elise Solomon Boyd, her aunt Barbara Crosby Munos, her uncle Bubba Bonds, and many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Mary was preceded in death by her father, Fletcher Holmes Ray III.