Mary Leona Harpole O’Bannon died on Friday, Aug. 17, 2012, at Promise Specialty Hospital.

She was born on July 8, 1930, in Greenville, Miss., to the late Mary Emma and Harvey Preston Harpole. She was a lifelong resident of Mississippi and settled in Vicksburg in 1948.

She was a local entrepreneur who supported her late husband in the creation and operation of a very successful and well-respected plumbing business, O’Bannon Plumbing Company. She was an avid supporter of numerous charities, especially those representing veterans and American troops, as well as the Mississippi State Troopers Association. She earnestly promoted the acquisition of knowledge and pursued collegiate medical studies in her later years.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Thomas Benjamin O’Bannon Jr.; and her eldest son, Patrick Wayne O’Bannon.

She is survived by twin daughters, Janice Holland of Brandon, Miss., and JoAnn Black of Tallulah, La.; daughter, Linda Louise O’Bannon of West Monroe, La.; son, John Robert “Bob” O’Bannon of Knoxville, Tenn.; beloved granddaughter and caretaker, Amy McClurg; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.

Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial service at Christ Episcopal Church, 1115 Main St., Vicksburg, on Sunday, Aug. 26, 2012, at 2 p.m.

She loved flowers and charity and either would honor her memory.