Mary Jean Sembly, the youngest of seven children, was born on September 11, 1933 to the late Emma Lou and Thomas Stone in Mammoth, West Virginia. She peacefully departed this life on December 12, 2022 after a lengthy illness.

Jean, as she is affectionately known, lost her father, a coal miner, in a devastating mining accident very early in her childhood. A short time later, she unexpectedly lost her mother to blood clots in a New York outpatient center. From that point on, her oldest sister, Clara took on the role of her mother. She raised her to become the woman that she was and laid the foundation for her many accomplishments in life: Jean became a strong woman of God, a highly sought-after pediatric nurse practitioner, and a loving, faithful wife to her soulmate and husband of nearly 47 years, Elmer V. Sembly, Jr. (Donnie).

Jean attended grammar school in West Virginia but finished her high school education at the well-established and cultured Franklin Lane High School in Brooklyn, New York. There, she learned one of her favorite pastimes– swimming. Jean attended college at the State University of New York (Stony Brook) while working as a nursing assistant, and subsequently, as a licensed practical nurse –all the while raising her two children, Yolanda (Dinky) and Jesse Lee Bowens.

One undeniable fact is that Jean loved God and people. The love she had for her husband, children and family was obvious. The love she had for the members of the Body of Christ was astounding. And the love that Jean had for her sister-mama Clara and husband Harold was phenomenal. Even greater than that was her love for God and His Church. Jean loved to worship God, and sing spiritual songs both in service and at home. She routinely hummed “Everybody Will Be Happy Over There” during the day. One of her favorite sayings, among many that she had, was something that her mother told her while very young: “Whatsoever you do, big or small, do it well or not at all!”

Jean was taught the gospel and baptized into Christ by Bro. H. L. Farris at Huntington Church of Christ, a newly planted congregation in Long Island, New York. After her baptism, she served faithfully teaching “cottage classes” (being hand-picked by Bro Farris because of her commitment and personality in sharing God’s Word with others). She was a soul-winner for Christ and in 1975, she met another eager soul-winner, Donnie. She was introduced to Elmer Sembly Jr. by Floyd and Josephine Ewing –"matchmaking" friends and members of the Lord’s Church.

Jean and Donnie’s date nights (both before and after marriage) were often spent sharing the gospel with others. They dated only for a short period of time and were married on December 20, 1975. They became companions and laborers together in Christ for almost five decades. Their union merged two families and created a single family of five to include Dinky, Lee, and Doey (Elmer V. Sembly III) as their children.

As a minister’s wife, Jean worked faithfully and tirelessly beside her husband to continue to win many souls for Christ. Together, they learned and created many methods and tools to share God’s Word, including: Bible Correspondence Courses, Film Strips, Fishers of Men Series, Five States of Mankind, Table of Reason, and other Open Bible study methods. Jean’s magnetic personality drew people to her and she used that blessing to introduce people to Christ. Jean was a true people person, always smiling and constantly pleasant. She enjoyed having bible studies at home and sharing meals with friends and loved ones. Jean and Donnie shared the gospel and baptized hundreds of Christians. Their teamwork was a major contributing factor to the phenomenal growth at the Central Church of Christ, and subsequently, the Metropolitan Church of Christ, Deer Park Church of Christ, and finally the Woodlawn Park Church of Christ.

Jean was preceded in death by her only daughter, Yolanda Bowens; and her siblings Carl Jackson, William Doss, Thomas Stone, Clara Grant, Ethel Scott and Alma Stone. She leaves to cherish her memory; her loving husband of nearly 47 years, Elmer Sembly Jr.; sons Jesse Lee Bowens (Michelle), and Elmer V. Sembly III (Lynn); grandchildren Ronald Potter, Shawnta’ Bates (Robert), Elmer V. Sembly IV, Cory Sembly (Crystal) and Kayla Sembly; great-grandchildren Reigna Bates, Tory Sembly, Raliegh Sembly, Cory Sembly Jr. and Brooklyn Sembly; sisters-in-law Agnes Edwards and Edwina Beatty; a devoted niece, Theresa Stone, who stayed by her side until she transitioned; and a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends.