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Duggar Family Mourns Loss of 'Grandma' Mary From Accidental Drowning

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Members of the Duggar family are mourning the unexpected loss of 'Grandma' Mary Duggar.

The family confirmed that she passed away at home on Sunday, June 9 at the age of 78. 

The Duggar Family Official Facebook page mentions how grateful they are for the all prayers and that God's love is comforting them during this time. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As many of you have heard, our precious Grandma Duggar (Mary) passed away at home on Sunday afternoon, June 9th, 2019 at the age of 78. . She is greatly loved and will be missed so very much!! She lived a tremendous life as a follower of Christ, a wife, a devoted mother, a loving mother-in-law, and a much-loved grandmother. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) describes the virtuous woman, indeed she personified these beautiful verses with her life. . We deeply appreciate your prayers for our family and all who loved Mary during this time!

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Mary was the mother of Jim Bob Duggar whose family was featured on the TLC TV shows "19 Kids & Counting" and "Counting On". She had often appeared alongside the family with her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

Grandma Duggar died of an accidental drowning in a swimming pool Sunday, Washington County Coroner Roger Morris confirmed to USA TODAY. "It appears she slipped and fell into the pool," Morris said.

Granddaughter Jill Duggar Dillard memorialized her Grandma Mary with comments about her love for God, saying she was a great role model. "She was an amazing woman of God and such a great example to so many!"   

Mary Duggar was a successful real estate broker who owned Good Neighbor Realty and was noted in Northwest Arkansas for being the broker who put together the property sale for the John Q. Hammons Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Springdale.

She is survived by her daughter Deanna Duggar and her son Jim Bob Duggar, 21 grandchildren (Amy King, Joshua Duggar, Jana Duggar, John-David Duggar, Jill Dillard, Jessa Seewald, Jinger Vuolo, Joseph Duggar, Josiah Duggar, Joy-Anna Forsyth, Jedidiah Duggar, Jeremiah Duggar, Jason Duggar, James Duggar, Justin Duggar, Jackson Duggar, Johannah Duggar, Jennifer Duggar, Tyler Hutchins, Jordyn-Grace Duggar, and Josie Duggar) 13 great-grandchildren (Mackynzie Duggar, Michael Duggar, Marcus Duggar, Israel Dillard, Meredith Duggar, Spurgeon Seewald, Henry Seewald, Samuel Dillard, Mason Duggar, Gideon Forsyth, Garrett Duggar, Felicity Vuolo, and Ivy Seewald), with several more great-grandchildren on the way!

The Duggar family created a place on their website where anyone can leave their condolences and prayers. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It didn’t matter who you were, she was “Grandma” to you. That’s most often how she would introduce herself. “Hi, I’m Grandma!” Everybody called her Grandma. She took a genuine interest in people. She would converse with you in a way that made you feel special and loved and cared about. She had a knack for remembering details, and the next time she saw you, she would inquire about things told to her in past conversations. She was so excited about the many new great-grandbabies due this coming fall and winter, and it never got old for her. She welcomed each new baby with joy and would hold them with such tenderness and delight. We will keep her stories and memories alive for these little ones, but we’re sad that they will not have the blessing of knowing her in person as we have. She was always available. When we kids were young, she would often babysit so Mom and Dad could go out on a date. If Mom needed something from the grocery store, she was happy to pick it up. She always had time for a conversation with the teenager and never passed over the toddlers either. Each one of us was made to feel valued and loved by Grandma. She was our biggest cheerleader, coming to every music recital, birthday party, and graduation celebration— and with 21 grandkids and 13 great-grandkids, that was quite a feat! She was an exhorter. If we ever doubted our gifts or abilities, Grandma was there to spur us on. She’d pull the classic “grandma move” and have us putting on impromptu talent shows for complete strangers. “Why don’t you get up here and perform that song you’ve been working on?” “Aww, Grandma, really? Do I have to?” We’d say, glancing at mom, but we knew Mom would back her every time. We’d reluctantly get up and do a number, and it didn’t matter how terrible we thought we sounded, Grandma would beam with pride and start the applause. She believed in our gifts and abilities more than we did at times, and she spurred us on to do our best and to give God the glory for all our talents and achievements. Click :LINK IN BIO: or swipe left to read the rest of the tribute to Grandma Duggar —

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About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.