Mary Booze

MRS. MARY JACOBS BOOZE was born on July 26, 1946, in Darlington, South Carolina to the late Rev. Frank Jacobs and Leila Abson Jacobs. She departed this life on August 13, 2025, at the age of 79. Mary was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, and a faithful servant of God. She was distinguished as a beloved educator, mentor, successful entrepreneur, and an accomplished musician. From an early age, Mary displayed exceptional talent and determination. At just five years old, she became the lead singer of The Jacobs Sisters, a popular gospel group that performed at her father’s church, in the community, and live on radio stations including WPFD (Darlington, SC) and WJMX (Florence, SC). Every Sunday, Rev. Jacobs would take the group to the station for their weekly broadcasts before attending the worship service. Mary excelled academically and was crowned May Day Queen during elementary school days in Darlington, South Carolina where she was recognized for both her beauty and scholastic achievement. At the age of 11, Mary moved with her family to Baltimore, Maryland. During her high school days, she attended Patricia Stevens Finishing School, which opened doors to opportunities for her to participate in modeling assignments in major Baltimore events. Mary accepted Christ as her Savior early in life and, after relocating to Baltimore she joined Mt. Olive Freewill Baptist Church, where her father served as an Assistant Pastor. She continued to grow spiritually and to honor her faith in God throughout her life. Mary earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from Morgan State University, where she participated in the Morgan Choir, the swim team, and she pledged into Gamma Sigma Sigma National Service Sorority. After graduating from Morgan, she continued her academic studies. She earned advanced credits in mathematics and computer science technology at Johns Hopkins University and other universities. Her professional career was as varied as her passions. She began teaching mathematics in Baltimore City Public Schools at Western High School. She lived and worked in Okinawa, Japan for 2 ½ years. When she returned to Baltimore; she worked as a statistician at NASA Mary returned to the teaching profession in Baltimore City Public Schools at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School (Mervo), where one of her prized students were Brandon M. Scott, now the esteemed Mayor of Baltimore City, Maryland. She retired from Baltimore City Public Schools after many years of teaching and mentoring students. As an entrepreneur, Mary owned and managed a local restaurant. She founded a modeling agency “Fair Fashion Fair,” where she produced and promoted fashion shows throughout the Baltimore Metro area. Her creative spirit flourished in music as well. She performed as the lead vocalist and a keyboardist for the MC Booze Band of Pikesville, Maryland, alongside her husband, Marshall Booze, the band’s manager and guitarist. Together, they entertained audiences throughout Maryland and performed annual summer concerts in Baltimore and Columbia area parks. Mary was also a recording artist. Mary leaves behind: her devoted husband, Marshall Booze, Jr. (Pikesville, MD); three children, Jerome Fair (Mandy.d) of Pasadena, MD, Jamila Tyner (Leslie) of White Plains, MD, and Jelani Fair (Portsmouth, VA); and six cherished grandchildren, Jerome III, Kayla, Karon, Jhibril, Anisa and Jelani Jr. Of her six siblings, she left to cherish her memory, Mae Jacobs Conway (Columbia, MD), Benjamin Simmons (Harrisburg, PA) and Sara Jacobs Lee (Miami, Florida) (she was preceded in death by siblings Rev. Jero Abson and Martha Jacobs Austin.) She will also be missed by a host of relatives, her former students, former co-workers, GSS sorors, and many others whose lives were deeply touched by her smile, her grace, her intellect, and her love.

Tributes

Mary Booze

July 26, 1946 - August 13, 2025