Jane Ballard Mize passed away peacefully on December 19, 2025, in Temple, Texas, of natural causes.
Jane was born on December 1, 1938, in Good Hope, Alabama, to Ed and Corina Ballard. She was a proud graduate of Good Hope High School, where she met her high school sweetheart and future husband, Marlin Gene “Sonny” Mize. The two shared a devoted marriage until Marlin’s passing on October 8, 2016.
Jane and Marlin embraced military life through the United States Air Force, building a life together that carried them across the country and the world. Their journey included homes in Massachusetts, Mississippi, Guam, South Dakota, and later Fort Worth and Abilene, Texas. They were blessed with two sons: Craig, born in Massachusetts, and Michael, born in Mississippi.
Following Marlin’s retirement from the Air Force, the family settled in Cullman, Alabama. There, Jane began a remarkable second chapter of her life. With a lifelong love of learning, she enrolled at the University of Alabama, earning her undergraduate degree and later completing her doctorate in Marketing. Armed with her education and entrepreneurial spirit, Jane founded her own marketing company, JBM, in Cullman.
In their later years, Jane and Marlin moved to Ennis, Texas, to be closer to their youngest son. Jane quickly became an active and beloved member of the Ennis community. She was deeply involved in Rotary and worked closely with physicians and staff at the local hospital, where she was cherished by both patients and caregivers.
Even as her health declined, Jane’s warmth, curiosity, and generosity never faded. Family members have heard countless stories from hospital and nursing home staff about the joy she brought to those around her. During her final stay at Baylor Scott & White ICU in Temple, her nurses shared how Jane continued to inspire them-showing off the papers she was working on, demonstrating her lifelong passion for learning, and ordering snacks for nurses, technicians, and staff simply to brighten their days.
Even in her final hours, Jane’s instinct was to give, to connect, and to share her enthusiasm for life and for people. She will be remembered as a devoted wife and mother, a scholar, an entrepreneur, a community servant, and a woman whose kindness left a lasting impression wherever she went.
Jane is survived by her son Craig Mize and wife Pat; granddaughters Rachel Mize and Lori Mize Raymond and husband Carl; great-grandchildren Hailey Brownell; Logan Frank; Kaylynn and Corbin Raymond; her son Michael Mize and wife Carol; and grandsons Ryan Mize and Adam Mize.
