06/09/2026
Obituary for Dr. Mary Rainey McCalla, wife of Judge Jon McCalla. Mary was an accomplished physician and loved the Rosemark area as well. She and Jon were all about helping others and will be greatly missed. RIP Dr. McCalla.
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Dr. Mary Rainey McCalla Obituary
Dr. Mary Mason Rainey McCalla, a gifted Memphis physician, and beloved wife, mother and grandmother, died on April 9, 2026, at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. She was 74.
Born February 16, 1952, at Fort Rucker, Alabama, Mary was the firstborn and only daughter of Mary Mason Naquin Rainey and Irvin Mercer Rainey, Sr. After the Korean War, the Rainey family returned home to Jackson, Tennessee, where Mary grew up alongside three younger brothers and honed the exacting wit, warmth, and abiding curiosity that would define her character.
Mary began her professional career as a dental hygienist before attending the University of Tennessee at Martin, then the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine (UTHSC), earning her medical degree in 1981. She completed residencies in general surgery and otolaryngology at UTHSC, specializing in head and neck surgery.
Dr. McCalla built a respected otolaryngological practice serving patients in Memphis and West Memphis. She also served as clinical associate faculty in the Department of Otolaryngology at UTHSC, chaired the Department of Otolaryngology for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare System, and was a past president of the Memphis Society of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
A consummately skilled surgeon, Dr. McCalla was an early adopter of new technologies that could improve patient care. She introduced endoscopic surgery to the Memphis VA and was responsible for several surgical firsts in the Memphis medical community, including the first artificial mandibular condyle, the first modified radial neck dissection, the first medialization laryngoplasty using the Netterville technique, the introduction of harmonic and coblation tonsillectomy, and the first use of an endoscopic sinus shaver in Memphis.
Outside of medicine, Mary enjoyed travel, tennis, fishing, conversation, piano, gardening, watercolor painting, croquet, bridge, Mahjong, and her book club. She served on the boards of the Memphis Ballet, Memphis Opera, and Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School, and was active in the Memphis Rotary Club and Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church.
Mary married Jon Phipps McCalla on July 26, 1975. They celebrated 50 years of marriage last summer. They built a life centered on family, public service, mentorship, and lifelong learning. Together they raised two daughters, Kate and Clair, of whom they were endlessly proud.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her daughters, Kate McCalla Rickards (Tyler) of Baltimore, Maryland and Clair McCalla Ward (Rob) of Wilmington, North Carolina; her granddaughters, Ruby Catheryn Ward and Margot McCalla Ward; brothers Dr. Irvin M. Rainey, Jr. (Vicki) of Jackson, Tennessee, Thomas C. Rainey (Jenny) of Ridgecrest, California, and Dr. Robert A. Rainey (Kim) of Jackson, Tennessee; and many nieces and nephews, friends and colleagues. Her husband, Jon Phipps McCalla, died on May 15, 2026.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, June 13, from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Memphis) in Trezevant Hall before the 11:00 a.m. funeral service celebrating the lives of Mary and Jon. A reception will follow at the University Club of Memphis.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Otolaryngology Advancement Fund at giving.uthsc.edu/giveent; Historic Archives of Rosemark and Environs Inc. by mail to 8671 Rosemark Road, Millington, Tennessee 38053; or Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church at gracestlukes.org/onlinegiving by mail to the church, ATTN: Memorials, 1720 Peabody Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38104.
