Grandma Buried in M&Ms-Shaped Coffin After Loving the Candy
She even helped design the casket and kept it in her house.
An Arizona grandmother was such a big fan of M&Ms, she wanted to be buried in an M&M-sized coffin—and her friends and family happily made it happen. Mary Ester Stocks Martin Gailey was laid to rest on Saturday February 18, in a coffin with a giant blue sleeping M&M character on top. A language arts teacher for over 30 years, Martin's students affectionately called her by her initials "MM", and often brought her the candy as a treat. Here's what her family had to say about the unusual funeral.
She Will Be Missed
Martin's family all wore M&M shirts to the funeral in honor of their matriarch. "Her name was Mary Ester Stocks Martin Gaily and my husband Tom is the one who built her casket," daughter-in-law Lisa Richardson says. "We will miss her. She was fun right to the end and this is the casket she designed with her son."
Martin Helped Design Casket
Martin's grandson Scott Roundtree says she helped design the casket and even kept it in her house. "My uncle made it by hand," Roundtree says. "And she designed it years ago. She loved how it turned out. It sat in her house for years."
Beloved By Her Students
Martin was beloved by her students, friend Bill Martin says. "Her name through 30 years as a teacher was Mary Martin. Her students would bring her M&M candies and small M&M toys which resulted in a large M&M collection. The casket is a tribute to the over 5000 students she taught throughout her career. She will be missed."
Her Only Regret Was Missing Her Own Funeral
"Her only regret was that she wasn't going to be able to attend her own funeral to see people's faces," Richardson says. "M&Ms were her theme. She was a teacher for 30 years and her initials were MM so her student gave her M&Ms memorabilia until she had an entire room full of it."
The Most Mary Thing Ever
Martin's grandson shared photos from the funeral and wrote, "You were right [Grandma] we all loved your casket. You fought so hard. I miss you so much. I'm gonna miss the popcorn, The Rice Krispies, and most of all those hugs." Former students also shared their love for Martin, with one saying, "She always, ALWAYS, believed in me, and I got to see her every week for the last several years. And in the most Mary thing ever, she requested to be buried in a giant M&M."
